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Peter Larkins | The Appalachian
Sophomore studio art major Emily F. Dixon studies for a history test and prepares for an art project Wednesday in Crossroads Coffeehouse. Dixon said she finds it less stressful to study away from her room, where there are less distractions. |
Keeping your cool when work heats up
by Amanda Fowler
Staff Writer
Between papers, presentations, exams, homework and trying to maintain a social life, college can be one of the most stressful experiences of a student’s life.
The possibilities for stressful situations are endless. Stress is a common problem, often never addressed, and those who suffer from it frequently do so alone.
Stress is the physiological reaction to an event that goes on outside of a person that is threatening, Kit Olsen, coordinator of wellness programming within the Wellness Center, said.
What triggers stress can be different for each person but it generally results in the same reactions. Rapid heart rate, fast breathing, tenseness of the body, sweating and racing thoughts are all results of stress and are a part of the “fight or flight” response the human body (has to threatening situations), Olsen said.
Even though stressors are typically no longer physical, the body still has that “fight or flight” response, preparing one to either fight for safety or run away.
The innate responses the body has to stress can be more serious than one may think; it all begins with breathing. Once the body starts breathing faster, the heart beats faster and causes blood pressure to rise. The arteries squeeze and get narrower which contributes to rising blood pressure.
“That [the arteries narrowing] is the same thing that happens when you drink coffee,” Olsen said. “The caffeine in the coffee makes your arteries constrict, and that’s what gives you that boost of energy.”
Those who are stressed also begin to pay more critical attention to what is happening around them and become jumpy and overly aware.
Besides the predictable responses the body has to stress, there are also some more serious results.
The immune system in a stressed body does not work as well.
Short-term memory is affected, which means that someone who is stressed over a test may not learn as well.
One’s quality of sleep can also deteriorate and previous health problems have a potential to worsen.
Reducing stress levels is very important and works on an individual basis, but Olsen said the first thing students should try is to get enough sleep to feel rested however and whenever they can.
“When I asked a group of students, ‘How many of you got enough sleep one night within the past week to feel rested?’ In this group of 25 students that I was talking to, no one raised their hand,” Olsen said.
Sleeping may be one of the last priorities for busy students, but it is the first step to reducing stress.
Students should also pay attention to healthy eating. Maintaining a good diet and eating regular meals is very important and can help give that extra edge, Olsen said.
Time management can also be a great stress reducer. Keeping a schedule and knowing when to study is a great help.
It is also important to take frequent breaks, even if just for a couple minutes, to sit back and relax.
Students should also know the proper way to help stressed friends or roommates. The most common advice given to busy friends, “Just don’t worry about it,” may not be the most helpful.
“The best thing to do might be to say something like ‘How can I help? What can I do to help you out with this.’ And there may not be anything that you can do in reality, but just that person knowing that you’ve offered to help can be real supportive,” Olsen said.
In difficult, stressful situations the Wellness Center is available to students and is a great way to receive specialized help. They offer biofeedback, where sensors are placed on the forehead, shoulders and fingertips to measure specific physiological reactions to stress, Olsen said.
The feedback makes it possible to learn how to slow heart rates down and eliminate racing thoughts. Relaxing the body in this manner makes it possible to decide on priorities.
The Wellness Center also works one-on-one with students on time management and helps them create a schedule. In the future, workshops will be available on such subjects as test anxiety and stress management.
An information fair will be sponsored by the Wellness Center at the same time flu shots are to be given by Health Services. Information will be available on how to boost the immune system and to keep from getting sick.
There are even wellness peer educators offered by the Wellness Center who address stress management issues, usually in residence hall programs, but any group of students could request a program of their own.
For further information on programs offered by the Wellness Center or to schedule a one-on-one appointment call 262-3148.
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