How to Identify , Manage and Overcome Stress ? (^_^)

Identify , Manage ,Overcome !

Stress is a part of every student's daily life. Leaving home or commuting daily; managing finances; living with roommates;Coursework , and relationships all contribute to the normal stress of being a student.

Furthermore , it is not uncommon for students to feel stressed and anxious about wasting time, asked to many by parents to achieve excellence , or being lonely. Stress can also come from exciting or positive events. Falling in love, preparing to study abroad, or buying a car can cause stress and prevent you from enjoying yourself .

One of the most important things you can do is to recognize when your stress levels are building. The amount of stress that you can tolerate before you become distressed varies with your life situation and your age. 

                           

Here i want to share my experience about stress :

Stress is something that very common to my life as a student. Family economic status, parental health, heart's desire to get expensive things, will to excel, meet the needs of parents and maintain the relationship in love are the things that can make me under stress. Experiencing this pressure made ​​me lose my judgement and lost the will to do other tasks.

I am currently studying at tertiary institutions. Thus, facing stress is almost all the time. In addition to workload, I also often feel stress when i remembered my parents and family at home . I feel so depressed because my family is willingly sending me money , despite their unsettle loan .

I realized my family need more money for the necessities of life at home. I still have siblings who are still attending school and requires a lot of money. My nature which can be easily be pity to my family often causes me to remember them . I do not socialize as usual when thinking about them .

In addition, I also have problems in my friendship. Cultural differences, how to make friends and how they treat friend causing me to have conflict in me. Therefore, I often have difficulty to accept this difference that causes me unable to socialize well. Besides , I sometimes spend time alone and thinking about my problem. This became one of the reasons I stressed.

Things that make me depressed, some are not fit to be a factor. For example, the desire for luxury goods. When viewing others have luxury items I feel depressed, or in other words, the feeling that makes me want to have what others have driving me nervous and less happy.

In conclusion, the stress I experienced was due to problems associated with the family, Study problems and some of my hearts desire. Apart from that , I have recalls the problems i have encountered in my life , reviewing the experiences recounted by friends and by surfing the Internet.

It is hoped that the information given by me  gives us some useful knowledge that can be applied when stress come and trouble your life .

1.  Identify 

Stress affects each of us in different ways, and it is important to be aware of your unique stress "signals". Stress signals fall into four categories: thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and physical symptoms. When you are under stress, you may experience any number of the following:

• Feelings: anxiety, irritability, fear, moodiness, embarrassment.

• Thoughts: self-criticism, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, forgetfulness, preoccupation with the future, repetitive thoughts, fear of failure.

• Behaviours: crying, increased or decreased appetite, "snapping" at friends, acting impulsively, alcohol or other drug use (including smoking), nervous laughter, teeth grinding or jaw clenching, stuttering or other speech difficulties, being more accident-prone.

• Physical: sleep disturbances, tight muscles, headaches, fatigue, cold or sweaty hands, back or neck problems, stomach distress, more colds and infections, rapid breathing, pounding heart, trembling, dry mouth.

                              
 2.  Manage

There are many ways to manage unhealthy stress in your life. The key to stress reduction is identifying strategies that work for you. As you begin to understand more about how stress affects you, you will develop your own ideas to help relieve tension. 

Because each person is unique, some of these stress management strategies will be more helpful for you than others, and some will be new skills that require practice to be effective.   

• Take a Deep Breath!

The next time you feel uptight, try taking a minute to slow down and breathe deeply. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Then slowly exhale as you count to 10. The more you practice deep breathing, the more effective a stress-reduction technique it becomes.

• Manage Your Time 

Make a list of what tasks you have to do. Then do one at a time, checking them off as they're completed. Give priority to the most important ones and do those first. If a particularly unpleasant task faces you, tackle it early in the day and get it over with; the rest of your day will be much less stressful. Most importantly, do not overwork yourself

• Connect with Others

Being by yourself is fine, but being lonely is different. A good way to combat sadness, boredom, and loneliness is to seek out activities involving others. 

•   Talk It Out

Bottled-up emotions increase frustration and stress. Share your feelings. Perhaps a friend, family member, teacher, clergy person, or counselor can help you see your problem in a different light. Talking with someone else can help clear your mind of confusion so that you can focus on problem solving. 

• Take a "One-Minute Vacation"

When you have the opportunity, take a moment to close your eyes and imagine a place where you feel relaxed and comfortable. Notice all the details of this place, including pleasant sounds, smells, and temperature. Imagining a quiet scene can take you out of the turmoil of a stressful situation. 

                                   

1.  Overcome !

• First, recognize stress:

Stress symptoms include mental, social, and physical manifestations. These include exhaustion, loss of/increased appetite, headaches, crying, sleeplessness, and oversleeping. Escape through alcohol, drugs, or other compulsive behaviour are often indications. Feelings of alarm, frustration, or apathy may accompany stress.

  

• Look around 

See if there really is something you can change or control in the situation.

• Set realistic goals for yourself

Reduce the number of events going on in your life and you may reduce 

the circuit overload  

Remove yourself from the stressful situation Give yourself a break if only for a few moments daily Don't sweat the small stuff  Try to prioritize a few truly important things and let the rest slide Learn how to best relax yourself Meditation and breathing exercises have been proven to be very  effective  in controlling stress. Practice clearing your mind of disturbing  thoughts.  Change the way you see your situation; seek alternative viewpoints  Stress is a reaction to events and problems, and you can lock  yourself in to one way of viewing your situation. Seek an outside perspective of the situation, compare it with yours. and perhaps lessen your reaction to these conditions

• Do something for others

To help get your mind off your self .Try something you like . For instance playing game .

•  Selectively change the way you react,

But not too much at one time. Focus on one troublesome thing and manage your reactions to it/him/her

• Avoid extreme reactions; 

Why hate when a little dislike will do? Why generate anxiety when 
you can be nervous? Why rage when anger will do the job? Why be ?


                                    
Credit to : http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm