Chapter 5 Identifying and Handling Stress Effective College Learning Jodi Patrick Holschuh * Sherrie L. Nist

Questions to Consider: What are common sources of stress? What is academic stress? How does stress affect you? How can you control or reduce stress?

Stress Usually we think of stress as something to be avoided… …but actually some stress is helpful and stimulating — without stress we would lead a rather boring existence! The problem comes when you experience too much stress.

Six Major Sources of Stress Most students think that stress is caused by outside factors… But in fact – ▫it is natural ▫it is internal ▫it is often an overreaction to a specific situation, and ▫it can be controlled!

Six Major Sources of Stress 1.Academic Record. Your academic history can affect your current level of stress.  Students with a “shaky” academic past may feel that they can’t succeed in college.  Students with past success may feel stress to maintain that level of success.

Six Major Sources of Stress 2.Social Influences. Dealing with others can often be stressful.  Conflicts with friends, family, or roommates can heighten stress.

Six Major Sources of Stress 3.Family. You may feel stress relating to your family:  Pressure to do well in college in order to make your family proud.  Stress because you have moved away from your family or because you want to move away!  Stress because of a family crisis.

Six Major Sources of Stress 4.Finances. Financial stress usually begins in college because:  Students often take out loans to pay for their education.  Some students get or maintain jobs to help pay for college.  Some students have to achieve a certain grade point average to keep their scholarships  Some students get their own credit cards and fall into debt.

Six Major Sources of Stress 5.Career Direction. You may feel stress relating to your future career:  Friends and family may pressure you to make decisions about your career very early.  You may feel as though you can’t find a direction.  You may have made a decision, but you may feel stress relating to the goals you need to achieve in order to succeed in that career.

Six Major Sources of Stress 6.Situational Problems. Certain stresses are unexpected and sometimes devastating.  You may become ill unexpectedly during the term.  You may experience the death of someone close to you.  You may realize you have a drug or alcohol problem.

How Does Stress Affect You? Stress can impact both your body and your mind. In general, people exhibit stress in four different ways.

How Does Stress Affect You? 1.Some people exhibit stress through their thoughts. They may speak negatively to themselves when faced with a stressful situation. ▫“I’ll never be able to do this.” ▫“I am so stupid.” ▫“Why am I even in college anyway?”

How Does Stress Affect You? 2.Some people exhibit stress primarily thorough their feelings. They may be moody, angry, depressed, or feel like crying when they are stressed out.

How Does Stress Affect You? 3.Some people exhibit stress through their behaviors and “act out” when stressed. They may:  sleep too much or too little  eat too much or too little  use drugs or alcohol  purchase things they can’t afford  get into physical fights or verbal arguments with ot hers

How Does Stress Affect You? 4.Some people exhibit stress physically. They may: ▫feel sick all the time ▫get migraines or headaches ▫get stomachaches or “butterflies in stomach” ▫experience dry-mouth ▫purchase things they cannot afford

Strategies for Reducing Stress Relax. You should make relaxation a regular part of your day. Try: ▫deep breathing or meditation for a few minutes each day to help you unwind ▫ask your doctor or read self-help books for relaxation techniques

Strategies for Reducing Stress Exercise. Physical activity helps: ▫take your mind off of your stress, and ▫the chemicals your body releases during exercise actually boost your ability to handle stressful situations.

Strategies for Reducing Stress Take Charge! You are in control of your own situation and you have to accept that responsibility! ▫By taking charge, you control the amount of stress you feel by remembering that stress is an internal reaction to situations and is often really an overreaction. ▫But when stress gets out of control, take charge of the situation by seeking help!

Strategies for Reducing Stress Be Proactive, not Reactive! ▫Stress can become a way of life if you live your life from crisis to crisis, reacting as new crises arise! ▫Instead, be proactive – incorporate fun and relaxation into your schedule rather than letting stress control you!

Strategies for Reducing Stress Put Problems in Perspective. ▫Talk to a good friend or a parent who has been in a similar situation to help you put your problems in a more realistic light. ▫Don’t get carried away imagining all the things that could go wrong — instead, focus on the positives!

Strategies for Reducing Stress Be Flexible. ▫If you are too set in the way you do things or the way you view the world you may end up causing yourself additional stress. ▫Reduce your stress levels by learning from your mistakes and making changes!

Strategies for Reducing Stress Develop Interests. ▫Join a club on campus, meet with others who share similar interests, or find some new interests on your own. ▫Having interests outside of schoolwork enables you to enjoy yourself and relax during your time off from studying! ▫Developing new interests also helps you in the classroom since you tend to do better in subjects that interest you!

Strategies for Reducing Stress Seek Help. Find your support resources --  friends  family  counseling centers  other campus resources

Strategies for Reducing Stress Enjoy Yourself! Take a walk, read a good book, see a movie, or call a friend! Take the time to do things you enjoy to keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed!

Academic Stress Many students experience stress specific related to particular college subjects or tasks: 1.public speaking anxiety 2.writing anxiety 3.math anxiety 4.test anxiety

Academic Stress 1.Public Speaking Anxiety People who feel a high degree of anxiety when speaking in front of groups of people may experience: ▫sweaty hands ▫dry mouth ▫forgetting what they were going to say

Academic Stress 2.Writing Anxiety Many students experience a great deal of stress when asked to write something for a class. “Writer’s block” can be the frustrating result of this kind of academic stress.

Academic Stress Coping with Writing Anxiety ▫Start early!  Students who experience writing anxiety often procrastinate writing tasks until the last minute, which only adds to their stress!  Work on your papers a little each day.

Academic Stress 3.Mathematics Anxiety Some students feel stress when they encounter anything that has to do with numbers. Math anxiety usually results from negative experiences in previous math classes.

Academic Stress 4.Test Anxiety Test anxiety is a feeling of stress when studying for or taking an exam in any subject. Students who experience test anxiety are often paralyzed with fear when faced with a test situation and may end up missing questions they knew!

Academic Stress Coping with Test Anxiety ▫Make jot lists as soon as you get the test.  Read each question and just jot down everything you know about it in the margin of the test.  Don’t look at any answers if it is a multiple-choice type test; instead write everything you know before you blank out.

Academic Stress Coping with Test Anxiety ▫Stay focused on what you are doing!  Ignore other students who finish the exam before you. Just because they finish before you does not mean they know more than you do.  It might be that they are done so early because they don’t know the answers and have given up!

Some General Tips for Reducing Academic Stress Don’t Procrastinate! Probably most of the academic stress students experience comes from waiting until the last minute to get their assignments done. Start early and do some work each night rather than waiting until the night before it is due!

Some General Tips for Reducing Academic Stress Learn to say no. Don’t take on too much added responsibility beyond your classes. If you wind up with too much to do, your grades and your health could suffer!