Dealing with stress in college

[The Graduate]

College life is stressful. Midterms, finals, class projects, and papers tend to stress students out. The stress also comes from the “millions” of things that students do outside college life such as work and hanging out with friends or family. Dr. Sara Maggitti, the Cabrini College director of Counseling Services said, "There are many sources of stress for college students. Some of the most common sources of stress are academics, financial strain, and interpersonal relationships among many others."

In many case it’s hard to define stress, Hans Selye, a doctor in endocrinology, defined stress as "the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change".

American Institute of Stress (AIS) reports that “75 to 90 percent of the visits made to primary care physicians result from stress or stress related disorders.” The AIS list 50 common signs and symptoms of stress, here the top 10 of that list:

1. Frequent headaches, jaw clenching or pain

2. Gritting, grinding teeth

3. Stuttering or stammering

4. Tremors, trembling of lips, hands

5. Neck ache, back pain, muscle spasms

6. Light headedness, faintness, dizziness

7. Ringing, buzzing or popping sounds

8. Frequent blushing, sweating

9. Cold or sweaty hands, feet

10. Dry mouth, problems swallowing

Here are some tips for coping with stress:

• Manage your time
• Get organized
• Find a good, stressless environment where you can go to relax
• Get plenty of sleep
• Find distraction between tasks
• Find a balance between your social life and academic demand
• Exercise
• Listen music
• Eat healthy
• Talk to a health professional

When you feel like you are stressed, you need to think about changing one of your habits in order to overcome the stress, either sleep more, exercising or getting more organized. Taking a breather between tasks is always a good stress reliever, especially if you can find that non-threatening environment.

If you have any suggestions about coping with stress any questions feel free to leave a comment.

by The Business Shrink Graduate