Young Americans Virtual Library: College Adulting 101: Stress Management

Stress Management

The following links are focused on: recognizing stress and responses to it and suggest positive ways to manage stress.

Stress comes in a range of forms. Recognizing stress and stress responses when they happen is important for emotional and physical well-being.
There are productive ways to manage stress, such as: mindfulness practice, exercise, positive social connections, therapeutic and medical supports.
Maladaptive responses to stress make it very hard to deal with current and future stressors and their effects could resurface when older.

If you are having a difficult time, please reach out to your instructors and advisors at YACPA. They are here to assist you.

Stress

What You Should Know About Stress

Everyone feels stressed from time to time, but what is stress? How does it affect your overall health? And what can you do to manage your stress?

Stress is how the brain and body respond to any demand. Any type of challenge—such as performance at work or school, a significant life change, or a traumatic event—can be stressful.

Stress can affect your health. It is important to pay attention to how you deal with minor and major stressors, so you know when to seek help.

Here are five things you should know about stress.

1. Stress affects everyone.

Everyone experiences stress from time to time. There are different types of stress—all of which carry physical and mental health risks. A stressor may be a one-time or short-term occurrence, or it can happen repeatedly over a long time. Some people may cope with stress more effectively and recover from stressful events more quickly than others.

Examples of stress include:

Routine stress related to the pressures of school, work, family, and other daily responsibilities.
Stress brought about by a sudden negative change, such as losing a job, divorce, or illness.
Traumatic stress experienced during an event such as a major accident, war, assault, or natural disaster

2. Not all stress is bad.

In a dangerous situation, stress signals the body to prepare to face a threat or flee to safety. In non-life-threatening situations, stress can motivate people, such as when they need to take a test or interview for a new job.

3. Long-term stress can harm your health.

Coping with the impact of chronic stress can be challenging. Because the source of long-term stress is more constant than acute stress, the body never receives a clear signal to return to normal functioning. With chronic stress, those same lifesaving reactions in the body can disturb the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, sleep, and reproductive systems. Some people may experience mainly digestive symptoms, while others may have headaches, sleeplessness, sadness, anger, or irritability.

4. There are ways to manage stress.

Be observant. Recognize the signs of your body’s response to stress, such as difficulty sleeping, increased alcohol and other substance use, being easily angered, feeling depressed, and having low energy.
Talk to your health care provider or a health professional.
Get regular exercise.
Try a relaxing activity. Explore relaxation or wellness programs, which may incorporate meditation, muscle relaxation, or breathing exercises. Schedule regular times for these and other healthy and relaxing activities.
Set goals and priorities. Try to be mindful of what you have accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do.
Stay connected. You are not alone. Keep in touch with people who can provide emotional support and practical help. To reduce stress, ask for help from friends, family, and community or religious organizations.

If you’re overwhelmed by stress, ask for help from a health professional.

You should seek help right away if you have suicidal thoughts, are overwhelmed, feel you cannot cope, or are using drugs or alcohol more frequently as a result of stress. Your doctor may be able to provide a recommendation.

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Anyone can become overwhelmed. If you or a loved one is having thoughts of suicide, call the confidential toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This information is courtesy of:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
NIH Publication No. 19-MH-8109

College Adulting 101

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Calming Videos and Activities

Stress Reduction Videos

Stress Management

Stress

What You Should Know About Stress