Adapted
from Study Guide, St. Thomas University
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First, you must learn to recognize stress.
Stress symptoms include both mental and physical manifestations. These include exhaustion, loss of/increased appetite, headaches, crying, sleeplessness, and oversleeping. Escape through alcohol, drugs, or other compulsive behavior are often indications. Feelings of alarm, frustration or apathy may accompany stress.If you feel that stress is affecting your studies,
a first option is to seek help through the educational counseling center.
Stress Management is the ability to maintain control when situations, people, and events make excessive demands. What you can do to manage your stress? What are some strategies?
Look around and see if there really is something you can change or control in the situation. Don't overwhelm yourself by fretting about your entire workload: Handle each task as it comes, or selectively deal with matters in some priority.
Try to be "positive":
Give yourself messages as to how well you can cope rather than how horrible everything is going to be.Selectively change the way you react, but not too much at one time.
Focus on one troublesome thing and manage your reactions to it/him/he.Reduce the number of events going on in your life and you'll reduce the circuit overload. Change the way you see things.
Learn to recognize stress for what it is. Increase your body's feedback and make stress self-regulating.The bottom line of stress management is "I upset myself."
Develop a thick skin.Avoid extreme reactions:
Why hate when a little dislike will do? Why generate anxiety when you can be nervous? Why rage when anger will do the job? Why be depressed when you can just be sad?Set realistic goals for yourself:
Learn how to do nothing.Don't sweat the small stuff:
Try to prioritize a few truly important things and let the rest slide.Try to "use" stress:
If you can't fight what's bothering you and you can't flee from it, then just flow with it or try to use it in a productive way.Work off stress with physical activity, whether it's jogging, tennis, gardening. Get enough sleep.
Lack of rest just aggravates stress.Do something for others to help get your mind off your self. Remove yourself from the stressful situation if only for a few moments daily.
Give yourself a break.Avoid self-medication or escape:
Alcohol and drugs can mask stress, but they don't help deal with the problems.Learn how to best relax yourself. Most importantly, if stress is putting you in an unmanageable state or interfering with your schoolwork, social and/or work life, seek professional help at your school's counseling center.