People continue to ask me during my college career if I'm stressed. Well yeah! And there are several causes that make me feel so stressed. But no one ever asks what is causing the stress or how I can help manage the stress.
Does this mean that being stressed is the new "norm"? People are always talking about how they are stressed or asking how others are. Try googling stress and see what you get. You'll probably get a lot of results containing essays, opinions, and studies of what stress can do to the body like I did. Maybe even some sites that try to be helpful and tell you how to stop procrastinating and stressing out. But do we actually realize how much it can affect us? Did you know it can affect you immune system?! Not to mention your cardiovascular, neuroendocrine (which deals with hormones and metabolism) and the central nervous system! All because of a little stress?
The thing that ends up causing me the most stress is often times feeling overwhelmed with the amount of homework that is given. Some of the times, it is because I choose to wait a bit before starting the assignments but sometimes it is because there is a lot being assigned all at once. Take this semester for example: I had an art class where I was unable to get all the book assignments as well as the in-class assignments done during the given class period. What only furthered my frustration with the project was I could not get Photoshop (which was required for the projects) on my computer for I had already used my free trial up. The other problem I ran into was the times the Mac labs were open before and after classes. The main problem I had with the class was that at the beginning we had too much time to do the homework, but towards the end of the class we had too much homework. I ended up having to skip a class or two the Friday before finals week to get all the art projects done and turned in.
Another thing that tends to go hand in hand with procrastination is allowing distractions to...well distract us. I know I've done this and so have many others: TV shows, movies, or even Netflix. How easy is it to just pick up watching tv shows when they are so available on the internet! Here's a link to what a senior from Auburn, Tory Waltrip, has to say on the matter:
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She's gone through all the years of college, I think she knows what's up!
According to the report Stress in America, reported by the American Psychological Association, stress can be harmful to students' health. Especially when they are constantly stressed out - or chronically stressed. The report says that "an extreme amount of stress can take a severe emotional toll" on people. Well it's no wonder college students end up moody and severely emotional, especially the closer they get to finals week. The research they have done says that if chronic stress is left untreated it can result in serious health conditions, such as: anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and much more. Over-eating is even mentioned as a way that people "deal" with stress. Come on guys, I know I'm not the only one who feels like munching when stressed. The report also says that despite all the connections to major illnesses, 33% of Americans have never discussed ways to manage stress with their doctor or other healthcare provider.
Holy smokes! We, as college students, need to find ways to manage our stress before we end up with a major illness or disease. It's time to start learning how to properly deal with stress. The Open University has some great tips for minimizing distractions and procrastination. Some of the suggestions they give are setting short term deadlines such as reading for 40 minutes and taking a coffee break and turning your phone on silent or asking your friends not to disturb you. I struggle with texting constantly especially when I'm doing homework. It seems to take me twice as long to finish my homework if I'm texting my brother, friends, or boyfriend. I just need to let them know I need to work on my homework for a bit and I will text them once I'm done. But that's easier said than done because of how technologically dependent I am!
The report offers some great ways to help manage stress. They say that even taking a small step to reduce stress and to improve emotional stress can have a positive effect on your life. For me, this would be not procrastinating and wait until the last minute/day to do homework or study. Physical activity is mentioned as a great way to manage stress. By doing something active, such as taking a walk or biking, will produce endorphins. Endorphins are a neurotransmitter to the brain that tell it to feel good and can help with treating mild forms of anxiety or depression. I've taken to hanging a punching bag in the garage and focusing my stress and anger on the bag. I end up feeling much better afterwards!
Eating healthy and balancing your day with a healthy balance of sleep and good food can help in enhancing your life. As a warning, the report does state that if high levels of stress continue over a long period of time, or problems from stress interfere with your day to day living, it is very important to see a licensed mental health professional/psychologist. They can help you overcome the barriers that keep you from living a healthy life and they can help you learn stress-management techniques.
As an Education major, I will certainly keep my experiences in mind especially when it comes to assigning homework with enough time to get everything done. As an English major, I understand that not everyone loves English as much as I do and that it can be stressful for others. I will work to make ways to teach English in a fun way and to keep it interesting so that perhaps it will help students to not procrastinate on account of the homework being boring or dry. I know that not everyone will enjoy it but I will do my best and that's all I can do. Perhaps I will even have a small talk about managing stress to my classes, especially my senior classes because of the dreaded "senioritis".
Of course, as a teacher I will have several points of stress that I will have to learn to manage and adapt to. But by reading the APA's article, Stress in America, I feel that I am better equipped to deal with stress. I have a feeling I will be making some lifestyle choices soon and hopefully you all do the same and fight back with stress!
