Stress… A Student’s worst enemy
The Oxford Dictionary definition of ‘stress’ states that it is a pressure or tension that demands on physical or mental energy. Stress can be found anywhere and in anyone – whether it’s because you’re worried about the school interview that you’ve got coming up for next week, or examinations that are taking place at the end of the school year and feeling overwhelmed by pressure to perform well, or even as simple as a jump scare in a scary movie. This overwhelming sensation isn’t the most pleasant feeling for students but it is very common. To be aware of how stress can be eased, you need the science to understand why we experience stress.
Stress is a person’s response to a threatening, challenging and physical or psychological situation in which they are forced out their comfort zone. It activates the fight or flight response through the nervous system, sending hormones through your body to prepare for the situation. Some factors that are common with stress are usually increased blood pressure, sweating and heightened alertness which can result in a sleepless night or being too emotional. It explains why you become more tense and annoyed at usual things that usually wouldn’t be annoying and may result in snapping quickly at people, even if you don’t mean to. There are also two types of stress: chronic and acute. Acute stress is over a short period of time whereas chronic stress means it occurs over a long period of time. Prolonged stress can impact on your overall health.
So, if we naturally are supposed to feel stress, why force us out the comfort zone? Why bother being in that horrible state? Well, it’s how you learn. If you remember your first time, riding a bike needing the support wheels, and your parent or carer took them off so you can begin to ride a bike without them, it must have been nerve-wracking to try it out. You might have been feeling stressed from worrying about falling over and scraping your knee or accidentally riding into a tree. This acute stress helps with dealing the situation in a more attentive way as your attention is heightened and when you overcome the challenge, it is a pleasure like no other. It makes you feel like you’ve won a marathon.
It is important, though, to not allow your stress to become overwhelming. Chronic stress becomes unhealthy and can lead to illnesses as well as making you less likely to socialise and be around friends and family.
So, what’s the secret to dealing with stress? Well, let’s say you have homework, and it’s due in 2 days later and you feel completely overwhelmed because you think you can’t finish it in time because you were busy with something else. Exercising is an excellent way to relieve stress as you physically waste energy to worry about your body rather than what’s on your mind. Now, it’s one day later, and you’re not even halfway through the homework. Speak with someone about it – letting other trusted people know helps reduce that stress as you talk it out and allows some of that pressure to melt away as the other person acknowledges your problem. Suddenly, it’s the night before the homework due in and you’ve done it but it’s not to the best of your ability and you’re stressed – wanting it to be perfect. Take a break and take deep breaths – counting to 10, stopping for a quick drink break or even going on your phone for 20 minutes takes your attention away from it but allows you to also think about what your next rational move is.
If you’ve been feeling stressed for a long time or are worried about the amount of stress you are feeling speaking to trusted adult like your parent, teacher, youth worker or friends. Whatever you do taking care of yourself is more important than anything else so make sure stress doesn’t begin to control you.
For more advice and support on managing your stress visit the HUB