Stress is anything that alters your natural balance. When stress is present, your body and your mind must attend to it in order to return you to balance. Your body reacts to stress by releasing hormones that help you cope with the situation. That in turn takes energy away from the other functions of your brain, like concentrating, or taking action. There are two different sources of stress: external triggers, like getting a poor grade or breaking up with your girlfriend/boyfriend, and internal triggers, like placing high expectations on yourself.
Along with the rewards and excitement that can come with balancing academic, extra-curricular and personal roles through university can be considerable stress. At times, this stress can feel overwhelming and personal functioning, academic performance and social relationships may be negatively impacted. At these times, it is a sign of emotional intelligence to recognize when you would benefit from speaking with a therapist and an important first step towards resolving your concerns.
Difficulties with time management, sleep problems, perfectionism and procrastination are among the issues many students want to resolve.
People with mental health disorders are more likely to notice that their specific symptoms reemerge or grow worse during stressful times. In many cases, stress can act as the “spark” that ignites a mental health episode. But this does not mean that every time you are busy or face a difficult challenge you will have a mental health episode. Not everyone responds the same way to potentially stressful circumstances. For example, during final exams many students feel very overwhelmed and anxious, while others are able to keep their stress under control. If you are one of the many people who have difficulty managing stress during difficult times, look for some helpful tips below.
If you find that you need to talk to someone to alleviate the negative impact stress has on your life, contact Christel today and together you can embark on a road of mental clarity.
