Stress is a reaction to change; it can be either positive or negative and it affects both the body and the mind. Normally, stress stimulates the release of hormones such as adrenaline, quickening the heart rate, accelerating the metabolism, and generally preparing the body for emergency action--whether or not the opportunity for action exists. Stress can destroy a promising academic session, not only killing the joy of learning but seriously affecting a student's general health and scholarly performance. Recognizing the sources and the effects of stress as early as possible is crucial to coping with it.
The body does not distinguish between negative and positive stress: both excitement and anxiety strain the body's resources and depress the immune system. Stress varies in intensity and duration. Acute stress, intense stress that lasts a short period of time, can rapidly exhaust you, even to the point of triggering cause anxiety attacks or states of shock. Chronic stress, stress that extends over time, is a subtle condition. You may become accustomed to some level of continual tension, but this stress will nevertheless damage you. Chronic stress is often ignored until obvious physical symptoms appear.
Common sources of stress ("stressors") include examinations, bereavements, parental
expectations, homesickness, conflicts with intimate partners, and thoughts of the future. Even
moderate stress can cause behavioural changes:
Depression and lethargy, or violent swings between lethargy and anxious energy, may indicate
chronic stress. One withdrawal pattern often exhibited by students under stress includes
sleeping late and skipping classes, and then engaging in compulsive activity until well after
midnight. Such behaviour creates a destructive cycle which feeds itself and eventually consumes
the student.
Early physical signs of stress can include frequent illness, slow recovery from disease,
hypersensitivity to irritants such as pollen, and persistent rashes or headaches. These and other
conditions may develop too gradually to be noticed. More serious symptoms can develop:
If the symptoms you experience are new and have no obvious cause, you should seek medical attention immediately. At the very least, you might wish to check some of the detailed files at the US National Institute of Mental Health Web site.
Some substances are mistakenly considered harmless stimulants although they often significantly increase stress. Paradoxically, many of these are a staple of social occasions through which stress is dissipated--until recently, at least, sugar doughnuts, coffee, and cigarettes were a popular combination of refreshments at student events!
Caffeine can be damaging in large quantities (it genuinely does seem to stimulate mental acuity in more reasonable doses). It stimulates your system for up to 24
hours, and some recent studies suggest that it actually reduces concentration and increases response time when used to excess. Excessive coffee drinking causes headaches, sleeplessness, and indigestion. Caffeine dependancy can be physically disturbing; withdrawal symptoms include nervousness, irritability, and rapid heartbeat.
Sugar is harmless in reasonable quantities, but eating foods rich in sugar tends to be
habit-forming because such snacks are convenient (sugar is an effective preservative) as well as
tasty. Sugar provides a quick burst of energy, but this is followed by sluggishness, as it depresses
your system. If sugary foods displace more nutritious ones in your diet, you will become
deficient in valuable vitamins and minerals. You may also gain weight rapidly, and sudden
weight gain is an additional stressor.
Cigarettes heighten your stress level through chemical stimulation; they may also rob
your body of vital substances such as Vitamin C. Their cost in money and risk (notably
of cancer) also causes stress. Studies suggest smoking can impair short-term visual
memory--a special concern for students. Finally, smoking may isolate you: it is increasingly a
socially unacceptable practice. Although quitting smoking can be stressful, its long-term benefits
outweigh the temporary anxiety. With the best of intentions, anti-smoking groups have
exaggerated the addictive nature of cigarettes: most people can quit without major physical
withdrawal symptoms and without using expensive aids such as nicotine patches or hypnotism
sessions. Quitting does involve abandoning a source of pleasure, but if stress is already a
problem, recognize the pleasure trap--and quit.
Drugs and alcohol increase stress. Although these substances are clearly toxic, their effect on mood is so striking that the damage they do is easy to overlook. Most are strongly habit-forming; all of them absorb your energies and blunt your intelligence, while giving you the impression that they produce the opposite effect. Although prescription drugs such as tranquillizers may temporarily reduce stress, their benefits are short-lived and their side-effects can be drastic. Because of the dangers of long-term use, they are usually prescribed only to offset the effects of a temporary situation. As they never remove the underlying causes of stress, discovering the sources of your stress is a safer and more natural solution.
If you recognize developing symptoms of stress, take action at once. Ultimately, you must gain control of your own situation, but reaching that point may be difficult, and you may need expert help: the UNB Counselling Services team (call 453-4820) is very experienced in dealing with stress. If you wish to begin with your own resources, don't overlook your friends and family: they can be your most valuable allies (although they can also be the most extreme stressors). They offer you an external view of behavioural changes which you may not notice. Much stress can be avoided by maintaining a realistic outlook: setting unattainable goals for yourself creates a stressful situation. Accept that some of your ambitions will not be fulfilled immediately, and that some situations will be largely beyond your control.
Controlling stress is easier if you enter a situation with a clear plan for dealing with stressors. Try to develop a comprehensive stress strategy. The FARE approach, outlined below, addresses four key areas:
Flexibility: accept change, disappointment, and even failure with genuine composure. Accepting does not mean submitting, but it does mean not denying. Trying again--or trying something new--usually improves the situation. Learn when it is best to walk away from a source of stress.
Awareness: Learn to recognize your reactions to stress. Identifying signs of strain and sources of stress is the first step to controlling your stress response.
Rest/Relaxation: Relaxation exercises should be a regular part of your day; some forms, such as tension/relaxation stretches and deep breathing--can readily form part of a physical workout. Work on key tension areas, massaging the area between the ear and the jaw, relaxing your facial muscles, and gently rolling your neck in half-circles. You may want to develop a complete relaxation routine; sample routines are outlined below.
Exercise: An exercise routine helps reduce anxiety, and it also helps you endure the stress you cannot avoid. Remember not to neglect your general health: sleep is essential; proper diet is crucial. All three--exercise, sleep, diet--are closely related; a disturbance affecting one spreads to all. Maintain a careful balance.
Stress Control Exercises
Tension/relaxation exercises concentrate tension, spread it out over the whole body, and then release it to break up unconscious patterns of local contraction.
Tension in the abdominal and chest muscles limits breathing; it is a natural response to danger, but it is should only be short-lived. Breathing exercises can counter persistent tension in this area. Perform the following exercises while sitting or lying down, with your hands resting on your abdomen, below the navel.
While the other routines work on the body to release stress, rational-emotive therapy uses visualization and positive suggestion to change outlook.
© R. Spacek, Writing and Study Skills Program, University of New Brunswick, 1 Nov/97
Updated: 26 May/09