Managing Stress
Anxiety is a part of life; in fact, studies have shown that 2 out of 5 people worry at least once every day. Life as a university student can include multiple stressors, especially as students transition in and out of the University. If you鈥檙e feeling anxious about classes, future career choices, friends and family, or anything else, you鈥檙e not the only one, and there are multiple steps you can take to get back on track.聽
Identifying Your Anxiety
One of the first steps to addressing anxiety is to identify its source. Are you terrified of spiders or scared of tests? Constantly worried? Afraid of the future?
Everyone鈥檚 anxiety is different. If you cannot identify your stressor, the first step is to be aware of the symptoms of your stress and note when they occur. Once you鈥檝e done this, you can begin to address them and the stressful situation itself. We tend to focus our anxiety on the future, or on possibilities that we cannot control or determine in advance. Seeing a counselor or completing a personal inventory about our worries can help us identify those questions or ideas that cause us anxiety.聽
Resources and Strategies for Anxiety
Once you鈥檝e determined your stressors, you鈥檒l need to devise a response. For severe and generalized anxiety, visiting 美高梅官网鈥檚 Counseling and Psychological Services is a great first step. You can speak with a professional counselor about your concerns, and they鈥檙e right on campus.
For less severe anxiety, to supplement your work with a counselor, or simply during stressful time periods, you may also want to try the proven strategies below to increase your focus, decrease your worry, and help you achieve your best at 美高梅官网!
Stress and anxiety can distract you from studying and decrease test performance. The practices outlined below have been repeatedly connected to increased focus and emotional satisfaction. If you feel that test and study anxiety is affecting your test performance, make an appointment with an Academic Coach today! Academic Coaches are trained peers who can help you find the resources you need to succeed.
Meditation is easy and free, and there are a variety of meditation types. Anyone can do it; all you need is a few quiet minutes each day. While the effects of meditation may be different for everyone, have shown that meditation can help decrease stress, increase mindfulness, and enhance concentration, so why not give it a try?
You can repeat positive mantras, pray, or even do chants, whatever works for you. The Mayo Clinic even lists some that anyone can adopt without training or instruction.聽
Progressive Muscle Relaxation involves learning to tense and release specific muscles. This allows you to stop focusing on other issues and 鈥渃heck in鈥� with your body. Hopefully, you鈥檒l become better aware of how stress impacts your muscle tenseness or soreness.
If this strategy seems like a good fit, look around online for an through muscle relaxation, or simply reference for written instructions on PMR.
Guided Imagery is a type of meditation, but it focuses specifically on concrete images or places that you find relaxing. You can develop your own images on which to focus. Some therapists have developed online resources focusing on , , and other locations, but a counselor will be able to provide additional resources or advice as well.
Some students find regular journaling a good source of stress relief. Some people keep a 鈥淕ratefulness Journal鈥� to keep them focused on the positive. Others simply write down all of their stresses right before exams or other critical events. Try a few different options to determine what works for you. All you need is a pen, paper, and a little time!
Many meditative exercises will ask you to focus on your breathing because 鈥渟hallow鈥� or 鈥渃hest鈥� breathing can become more frequent when you are stressed. This, in turn, can make individuals feel as though they cannot complete a full breath, which can lead to increased anxiety. Instead, focus on breathing through your nose, and feeling the air move into your stomach, so that you feel your abdomen rise and fall with each inhale and exhale. Yoga classes often emphasize Diaphragmatic Breathing, and several mental health researchers and clinicians have created to walk you through such breathing techniques.聽