Tests, new friends, finances…college students face stress on a daily basis. Stress can seem like a negative thing we should actively work on avoiding and removing from our lives. However, stress is what keeps us alert and focused when faced with danger. Stress is what gets you to study for your upcoming test and sharpens your focus during an important game. It can also save your life in emergency situations, heightening your adrenalin and giving you extra strength. While stress can be helpful and healthy, it can also begin having negative effects when we experience it for long periods of time. The intensity, frequency and duration of stress will be different for each person. Many factors can make the experience of stress worse, such as:

• having limited social support
• having multiple stressors
• lacking the resources to manage our stress

Learning how to recognize our stress response is the first step to being able to manage our stress to ensure it stays within a healthy limit.   

Short term symptoms that stress is starting to have a negative impact may include:

• fast heartbeat
• stiff neck, tight shoulders
• fast breathing
• sweating, sweaty palms
• upset stomach, nausea, or diarrhea
• headache

Long term symptoms that stress is having a negative impact may include:

• depression
• anxiety
• poor judgment
• memory problems
• aches and pains
• appetite changes

When we don’t manage our stress, it can have an impact to our health, such as our immune system. Learning how to deal with stress is vital to long term health. While stress alone does not cause disease, it triggers changes throughout the body that make people more susceptible to many illnesses. To help manage stress, it is important to practice daily relaxation and other coping skills, often referred to as self-care. It can also be very beneficial to talk to a health care provide, such as the Campus Health Centre, to have a holistic look at both the causes behind your stress and also the impact your symptoms may be having on your overall health.

Thing you can do for stress management

• Daily exercise such as walking, yoga, hiking, kickboxing or hitting the gym
• Eat a healthy balanced diet
• Mindfulness based methods such as meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing
• Journaling
• Get quality sleep
• Fun and leisure time, like watching funny movies or going to concerts
• Get creative and paint, draw or craft
• Get social and spend time with friends and family
• Speak with a healthcare professional and/or attend a support group

Resources

On Campus Resources

For support while on campus, students can access The Campus Health and Wellness Centre or DC Students Inc.’s Outreach Services. It can also be beneficial to seek academic support if the cause of your stress is academically related; try speaking to your Academic Advisor, or Student Academic Learning Services.

Off Campus Resources

Stop, Breathe & Think www.stopbreathethink.com

Aims to give you exactly what it says in the title. The chance, and skills, to stop everything, just breathe, and think. The guided meditations cover a range of goals, and are constructed to help you take some time out and concentrate on yourself.

Calm www.calm.com

This app has multiple guided meditations. The free version includes “7-steps to calm” breathing exercises and sleep stories to increase your relaxation and improve your sleep.

Mindshift https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/mindshift/id634684825?mt=8

This app was developed initially for youth and young adults. The mindfulness strategies included in this app are plentiful. There are also tools to help you through some common struggles such as test anxiety, procrastination, social fears and dealing with conflict.

Pacifica  www.thinkpacifica.com

Daily tools for stress and anxiety alongside a supportive community. Track your mood, physical wellness, ad learn relaxing breathing and meditation exercises. Join a community for peer support and conversation.

Headspace www.headspace.com

A comprehensive meditation app, with guided and unguided meditations to help you through all phases of your life. The free app offers ten sessions, with hundreds of hours of extra content.

Happify https://my.happify.com/

Grounded in the fields of positive psychology, mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. As the name suggests, Happify’s number one goal is to help us all feel happier, and more emotionally fulfilled.

Colorfy https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1009442510

Provides flowing and relaxing shapes and patterns for you to colour, allowing you time out from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

7 Cups https://www.7cups.com/

A fantastic tool for when you just need someone to talk to. Trained active listeners are available to chat with you via text or online, and to be there to help you through difficult times.