We have all had this feeling before. Our muscles go tense from it, our bodies feel drained, and our minds go crazy. Yes, the feeling is stress. According to Merriam-Webster.com stress is defined as, "A constraining force or influence as a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation (2011)." As a college student I'm faced with all kinds of different stress. As well, most of you probably witness a little stress in your life too. Having to cope with stress as a student is not uncommon. A recent MSN article reports that the Associated Press conducted research on college student stress at many colleges throughout the United States.
The survey found that four out of ten college students report they feel stressed often. One out of five say they feel stressed most of the time. One out of four students experienced daily stress and one in ten had thoughts of suicide (2008). That is why today I would like to inform you what I believe to be three of the main stressors that everyone goes through. This would include financial problems, workplace stress, and personal relationships. Then, I would also like to take you through five steps that I have found useful in coping with stress.
This is not healthy because aside from the physical harm such addictions present, there are also psychological problems this can cause. A person cannot learn how to naturally deal with stress if they always turn to their addictions for a release. They do not adequately learn how to cope with the knocks that life inevitably presents. Instead they grow increasingly dependent on their addictions as a means of coping, which often creates many other problems in the long run.
In addition to financial stress we have work place stress. Workplace stress maybe brought on by many factors. You may be worried about getting you next promotion, or you may be worried about losing your job since the economy is so bad. Other factors could be the experience of negative behavior from you coworkers or boss. You might not be reaching your career goals or there are major changes happening at your work place and you worry about how it will affect you. Many factors in a work place can bring on stress and overwhelm us, especially if we don't know how to cope with stress.
Furthermore, there is the stress of personal relationships. We may receive attitudes from our relatives. Have arguments with our kids or spouses. There could be possible illness to deal with in the family, or a major change of location could have happened. These all bring on a great deal of stress in our lives. Without knowing how to cope with all these stressors they could really exhaust a person.Therefore, I would like to introduce an acronym I use to remember five steps in coping with stress. The acronym is R-E-L-A-X. It stands for Recognize, Exercise, Let-it-go, Attitude, and Xtra sleep. Let's go over each letter one by one.
Avoidance only complicates and feeds the stress into a downwards spiral. The problem has to be dealt with at some point and leaving it to build up and explode at the last minute is much more stressful than doing it bit by bit over time. The only effective technique is to confront the source of the issue and resolve it. To start with, don't bottle up, talk to friends and family about problems. Everyone suffers the same concerns and feels the same problems but on different levels.Many people who find it hard to deal with stress bury their heads in the sand and hope their problems will go away. It is becoming more and more common for young people to turn to drugs and alcohol to assist in this oblivion technique. Intoxication, whilst it can be fun is certainly not healthy especially if substances are being used to cope. In most circumstances it will only lead to further financial, emotional and academic stress and anxiety. Instead, a healthy relationship should be built with alcohol and drinking as a reward for finishing coursework would be wise.
The third letter is "L". "L" stands for Let-it-go. So many times things can be let go. Think about it? Will it matter in ten years, or even five years? If the thing that is stressing you out won't matter in the long-term, then just let-it-go because it is not worth stressing over. Life is too short to be anything but happy. If it does matter, take a minute and then address the situation piece by piece so you can make a good decision.
To prevent some of the troubles that may be encountered at university, prospective and new students should do a little preparation and research. The most important thing to consider is the course itself. As soon as there is a timetable available, it should be studied and a realistic life timetable be made so it is known how much time is going to be available to study, work, rest and play. Keeping on top of workload is key to having an enjoyable time at university.Making the best out of home life is also very important. It is advisable to most students to take a place in student accommodation for the first year. It is important to make friends and to be eased into university life this way. Living in private accommodation can isolate people from other students. If it isn't possible to live in halls then it would be good to consider joining a sports team or club to integrate in that way.
Now, the fifth letter is "X". "X" will stand for Xtra sleep. Everyone needs proper sleep for energy. Are you not getting enough sleep? Are you staying out all night? Or are you staying up late? Then you need extra sleep. The best way to get the sleep you need is to have a schedule and stick with it. Go to bed at a decent time. When you develop a routine you will notice you have plenty of time during the day to do things. In the end you will be less frustrated when you get the sleep you needed.On the other hand, not all stress is bad. What I have been referring to is bad stress or what is called distress. But, there is such a thing as good stress. Good stress is stress that comes from excitement or adrenalin and can be very beneficial.
In conclusion, what I informed you of today is a few main stressors in our lives such as financial problems, work place stress, and personal relationships, and how coping with stress can be done using the acronym R-E-L-A-X, Recognize, Exercise, Let-it-go, Attitude, and Xtra sleep. So now, if you have happen to run into a stressful situation you will know what steps to take to reduce that stressful event, or if you can't remember the five steps you will at least remember the acronym RELAX and just simply relax. That alone can help take the stress way. This is just one way that coping with stress can be done. There are many other ways to cope with stress that you will be introduced to throughout this website such as: using stress relief games, dealing with anxiety, using stress toys, taking herbal remedies for anxiety, and more.
The survey found that four out of ten college students report they feel stressed often. One out of five say they feel stressed most of the time. One out of four students experienced daily stress and one in ten had thoughts of suicide (2008). That is why today I would like to inform you what I believe to be three of the main stressors that everyone goes through. This would include financial problems, workplace stress, and personal relationships. Then, I would also like to take you through five steps that I have found useful in coping with stress.
This is not healthy because aside from the physical harm such addictions present, there are also psychological problems this can cause. A person cannot learn how to naturally deal with stress if they always turn to their addictions for a release. They do not adequately learn how to cope with the knocks that life inevitably presents. Instead they grow increasingly dependent on their addictions as a means of coping, which often creates many other problems in the long run.
In addition to financial stress we have work place stress. Workplace stress maybe brought on by many factors. You may be worried about getting you next promotion, or you may be worried about losing your job since the economy is so bad. Other factors could be the experience of negative behavior from you coworkers or boss. You might not be reaching your career goals or there are major changes happening at your work place and you worry about how it will affect you. Many factors in a work place can bring on stress and overwhelm us, especially if we don't know how to cope with stress.
Furthermore, there is the stress of personal relationships. We may receive attitudes from our relatives. Have arguments with our kids or spouses. There could be possible illness to deal with in the family, or a major change of location could have happened. These all bring on a great deal of stress in our lives. Without knowing how to cope with all these stressors they could really exhaust a person.Therefore, I would like to introduce an acronym I use to remember five steps in coping with stress. The acronym is R-E-L-A-X. It stands for Recognize, Exercise, Let-it-go, Attitude, and Xtra sleep. Let's go over each letter one by one.
Avoidance only complicates and feeds the stress into a downwards spiral. The problem has to be dealt with at some point and leaving it to build up and explode at the last minute is much more stressful than doing it bit by bit over time. The only effective technique is to confront the source of the issue and resolve it. To start with, don't bottle up, talk to friends and family about problems. Everyone suffers the same concerns and feels the same problems but on different levels.Many people who find it hard to deal with stress bury their heads in the sand and hope their problems will go away. It is becoming more and more common for young people to turn to drugs and alcohol to assist in this oblivion technique. Intoxication, whilst it can be fun is certainly not healthy especially if substances are being used to cope. In most circumstances it will only lead to further financial, emotional and academic stress and anxiety. Instead, a healthy relationship should be built with alcohol and drinking as a reward for finishing coursework would be wise.
The third letter is "L". "L" stands for Let-it-go. So many times things can be let go. Think about it? Will it matter in ten years, or even five years? If the thing that is stressing you out won't matter in the long-term, then just let-it-go because it is not worth stressing over. Life is too short to be anything but happy. If it does matter, take a minute and then address the situation piece by piece so you can make a good decision.
To prevent some of the troubles that may be encountered at university, prospective and new students should do a little preparation and research. The most important thing to consider is the course itself. As soon as there is a timetable available, it should be studied and a realistic life timetable be made so it is known how much time is going to be available to study, work, rest and play. Keeping on top of workload is key to having an enjoyable time at university.Making the best out of home life is also very important. It is advisable to most students to take a place in student accommodation for the first year. It is important to make friends and to be eased into university life this way. Living in private accommodation can isolate people from other students. If it isn't possible to live in halls then it would be good to consider joining a sports team or club to integrate in that way.
Now, the fifth letter is "X". "X" will stand for Xtra sleep. Everyone needs proper sleep for energy. Are you not getting enough sleep? Are you staying out all night? Or are you staying up late? Then you need extra sleep. The best way to get the sleep you need is to have a schedule and stick with it. Go to bed at a decent time. When you develop a routine you will notice you have plenty of time during the day to do things. In the end you will be less frustrated when you get the sleep you needed.On the other hand, not all stress is bad. What I have been referring to is bad stress or what is called distress. But, there is such a thing as good stress. Good stress is stress that comes from excitement or adrenalin and can be very beneficial.
In conclusion, what I informed you of today is a few main stressors in our lives such as financial problems, work place stress, and personal relationships, and how coping with stress can be done using the acronym R-E-L-A-X, Recognize, Exercise, Let-it-go, Attitude, and Xtra sleep. So now, if you have happen to run into a stressful situation you will know what steps to take to reduce that stressful event, or if you can't remember the five steps you will at least remember the acronym RELAX and just simply relax. That alone can help take the stress way. This is just one way that coping with stress can be done. There are many other ways to cope with stress that you will be introduced to throughout this website such as: using stress relief games, dealing with anxiety, using stress toys, taking herbal remedies for anxiety, and more.
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