Stress & Anxiety

The Final Stress Season

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By: Skylar Millard

The semester is finally winding down and finals season is quickly upon us. Here are some tips to help you prepare and navigate these upcoming stressful weeks.

Planning/Prioritization 

Check everything you need to be able to complete in the week and then assign it to a day that you want to get it done. Setting aside specific time for exams and projects can provide some peace of mind. It is also important to determine the level of importance for the things you want to complete. This will help you determine when you need to complete it. It may help to approach them one subject at a time, beginning with the exam or project that comes first. If you want more information on time management or need a refresher check out the previous post on the topic here.

Remember to Breath and Take Breaks

Set some time aside to take some deep breaths and have some time to decompress. Doing some mindfulness techniques can help you recenter and stay calmer. Don’t let finals take over whole existence. Leave time for the things you enjoy. Breaks are still important even when working towards an important deadline. After taking a break, you may find yourself more productive and focused.

Find Some Peers

Look for a classmate or a friend that you can study with. Even if you are not studying the same subject, you can hold each other accountable for getting your work done and try to keep each other on task or blow off some steam by talking to them. You can also exchange study tips or try some new ones together.

Limit Distractions

When it is time to get to business there should be limited distractions. Turn off your phone and place it across the room. Close tabs with unnecessary sites, turn off the TV or anything else that will distract you. That being said, you know you best so if some level of background noise is actually helpful for you to focus then utilize it. But if you find yourself becoming too distracted by what is supposed to be background noise get rid of it.

Be Compassionate to Yourself

Pulling an all-nighter to cram for an exam or write a paper may seem like the only option. But even if this method has worked for you, missing out on sleep is bad for your health, and studying while tired is not as effective. Make sure you take care of yourself in every aspect. Eat right, be social, relax, and give your eyes a rest. Be careful not to fall into the habit of negative self-talk. You are more than your grades, so it is also important to focus on yourself wholistically during this time in the semester. You can find more information about resilience and positive self-talk on their original posts.

Here are some other resources that may be helpful

The Writing Center

Background Noise Website

Grow Into a New Mindset

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By Skylar Millard

In a transformative space, such as college, it is important to have a growth mindset and to develop positive self-talk. Having a growth mindset allows people to develop more from learning opportunities and embrace change as it happens. It also helps prevent people from falling into stagnation. Here are some tips on how to develop a growth mindset.

Try new things

It is hard to grow in the same environment that you have always been in and college provides the opportunity have new experiences. It is important to get out of your comfort zone. Try a new hobby, play a new sport, eat new food, or generally challenge yourself to do something you have never done before.

Reframe Challenges

Think of difficult situations as a challenge to overcome rather than a reason to give up. This allows you to embrace new challenges and use them to your advantage. They provide opportunities to learn, grow, and improve yourself. When you believe in your capacity to improve your own talents, failure stops being something to be afraid of. Reframing does not only have to apply to external challenges but to internal dialogue as well.

Be Your Own Hype-man

Allow yourself some grace and give yourself some slack. If you’re putting yourself in challenging situations that are unfamiliar in, there is going to be a learning curve and you might not be great at everything you try at first. Continue to believe in yourself to be able to improve and develop. Be kind to yourself; if you would not say it to your best friend do not say it to yourself. You have to spend 100% of your time with yourself so be your own hype-man and try to make your thoughts a kind and welcoming place for yourself.

Be careful about falling into negative thought patterns such as stewing and personalization. Stewing is when you repeat negative thoughts or bad experiences over and over in your mind. Try to recognize when these intrusive thoughts occur and become intentional about stopping them. If you find yourself often stewing, consider starting a gratitude journal to bring your attention towards positive things in your life. Personalization occurs when you take things too personally or over generalize. For example, I failed a quiz so I am a failure or will always fail. For personalization it is recommended to focus on the big picture of life. Continue moving forward and realize that you have the power to change and do better in the future. It is important to be able to make mistakes and forgive yourself. If you find yourself continuously struggling with negative self-talk or obsessive thoughts consider going to Counseling and Consultation Services.

What is Stress?

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By: Jayson Woody

Stress is normal; it can affect your body negatively and positively as a reaction from adversity. If stress is not relieved it can result in body aches, tiredness, and headache. Did you know that 8 out 10 college students report experiencing stress? A study indicates that first year or transfer students often encounter a higher rate of stress. The American College Health Association’s (ACHA) conducted a  National College Health Assessment and found the following in a survey report: college students performing poor academically experience these conditions during a semester

  • 2% stress
  • 8% anxiety
  • 2% depression
  • 4% sleep difficulties

The responses from the data occur from the students having new responsibilities or adapting to a new lifestyle. The behavioral effects can have a severe impact for the student academically such as poor grades and cause social isolation.

On the other hand, stress can impact students positively as well. Good stress helps people achieve their life’s daily challenges. Stress can also be used as motivation to reach goals, become organized and disciplined. A suggestion to lower stress would be to create a self-care plan to incorporate in your daily routine. Self-care is a good skill to balance school, work and health of a productive college student. If you use this plan effectively you will improve your social and education experience during college. Here is a list of tips for prioritizing self-care.

Reference: University of Massachusetts Global. Self-care for college students: Learn how to prioritize your wellness. June 30, 2020 by University of Massachusetts Global

 

Knocking People-Pleasing Tendencies

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By: Jewell Jones

You all may be wondering what a people pleaser is; it’s exactly as it sounds- someone who pleases people. Although most people try to do right by others anyway, people pleasers go the extra mile to make sure they are doing good by everyone. Some examples are not being able to say no, even though you want to, not establishing or enforcing healthy boundaries, being too agreeable, and worrying about what others think regarding your behaviors. Having these qualities can lead to you feeling overwhelmed, being stressed out, overextending yourself, and not exhibiting the best you possible.

Now, the question is why? How does one become a people pleaser? There are a few ways all disclosed on this website, but I’ll discuss a few if you don’t feel like opening another tab. I’ll also address some others that aren’t on that site, but this one. One reason behind being a people pleaser is simply being a person full of compassion. This is probably the most common reason, but we still have to remember that we are important as well and need to take care of ourselves first. Another reason is how you were raised- authoritarian households (high expectations followed by punishment if not met), tiger parenting (pushed to perform successfully) and trauma are all ways people end up exhibiting people-pleasing tendencies. More ways include fear of rejection and disappointing others, wanting to fit in, and lack of self-awareness and love.

In order to reverse these tendencies, we have to first be aware of them, then work on changing them. Next, we have to realize we can choose what we want and don’t want to do, no matter who for or how important it may seem to them. Another step is setting boundaries and following through with them- the boundaries are no good if people continue to disregard them. Simply saying no, and ‘sitting with discomfort’ is one of the most important factors when reversing people-pleasing because people then have less power over your actions. The website above lists a couple more along with reminders to tell yourself when it gets difficult to challenge your behaviors.

Now ask yourself this question- am I a people pleaser? If you answered no, and aren’t lying, congratulations! I wish I could say the same. If you answered yes, I hope you considered this post and will do some of the things to help you gain your power back. Please feel free to let me know if this post was helpful, and any other comments you may have.