Grant me the ability to change the things I can, the peace of mind to accept the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Stressssssss.........
“Stresssss.........” the word comes out like air from an overfilled balloon. We all know the feeling all too well. Even the word becomes daunting.
Stress is the result of life changes. Any life changes. Small or large, good or bad. You cannot prevent change from happening, just like you can't prevent stress from occurring. You can, however, control how you respond to stress.
Most people assume the stress they experience is on some level their fault. The truth is, a very large majority of stress is created by the situation people find themselves in, life events that occur, uncontrollable biological factors, social influences, etc. The one aspect of stress that is almost always under your control is how you react and respond to the stress you experience.
Most people don’t realize stress can come from positive events in your life as well as negative ones. Let’s say you just moved, or you are about to move to a new place, which is filled with exciting opportunities, but it also involves adjusting to these new opportunities. When you join a new group, you are instantly introduced to a myriad of new people to meet, but this also comes with having to present yourself to new people, starting new friendships, having less time for old friendships. Every change is accompanied by some sort of stress. How much stress, how intense it is, and how long it affects you depends on how your situation interacts with your personal characteristics.
When stress becomes harmful... Students as Caregivers
Think that keeping your grades up and paying your bills is hard enough? Try doing all
that while raising a child or taking care of an ailing family member — or both! There
are no easy solutions, but there are resources on campus that can help. You'll find
information about many of them on the Students with Children website, which covers
much more than just childcare (in spite of it’s title!).
We all experience stress to different degrees in different situations, from the small to the large. Knowing how to handle stress before it becomes out of control is the first step.
Have an exam coming up? Deadlines you can't seem to make? Always getting distracted? Worried about your academics? These factors could all greatly increase the amount of stress you experience.
People that already have a lot on their plate, experience stress management issues more often. It is important to consider the additional struggles already faced by
- International Students
- First Year Students
- First Year Graduate Students
- Students with Disabilities, along with students belonging to marginalized groups
Also, if a specifically stressful experience happened to you, or someone you are close to, the stress-response can occur at anytime in the future, and can cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which sounds scary, but is much more common than people think.
When to Get Help
If you feel that these scenarios apply to you, and would like more resources, or would like to talk to someone, please go to Campus Specific Resources.
Learn more about how to manage stress HERE