Professional Documents
Culture Documents
College Stress
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Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................1
Organization ......................................................................................................................3
Time Management ..........................................................................................................3
Attending Class ...............................................................................................................4
Studying .........................................................................................................................5
Health ................................................................................................................................9
Sleep ...............................................................................................................................9
Meditation .....................................................................................................................10
Substance Abuse ...........................................................................................................11
Relaxation ........................................................................................................................14
Socialization ..................................................................................................................14
Extracurricular Activities ...............................................................................................16
Yoga ..............................................................................................................................17
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................20
FAQs ...............................................................................................................................22
Index ................................................................................................................................24
Introduction
1
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College is stressful, and managing that stress can be quite the battle. When handled
correctly, stress can be easily dealt with and kept from hindering your success. On the
other hand, when stress is not handled properly, a small amount of tension can turn into a
world of dysfunction, and even pose health risks if severe enough. That is why we created
this manual, to guide students towards adapting these stress management techniques.
Its important to know what causes you stress, in order to better counter it in the future.
Potentially, there are several sources that stress may come from. Students are burdened
with daily stresses such as academic demand, responsibilities of independence, life after
graduation, and several more aspects that may cause tension in ones life. If youre
experiencing any of this, follow our guide below to help you better understand your stress.
There are three main categories that we can separate the causes of stress into.
1. Unsettling effects of change can be managed by:
o Good eating habits
o Socialization
o Extracurricular
2. Feeling challenged or threatened can be managed by:
o Exercise
o Attending Class
3. Feeling that you have lost control can be managed by:
o Time management
o Meditation
o Sleep
o Studying
Once you recognize which of our categories causes you stress, you can easily navigate to
the part of this manual that will be most useful to managing and relieving your stress.
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2
Organization
Chapter 1:
Organization
3
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Organization
Time Management
Time Management is the key to success. Creating a plan for your day can alleviate a
tremendous amount of stress, by cutting out the guessing game with what to do with your
time. Follow these simple tips and you will find success in your daily tasks:
!
4
Organization
Attending Class
Attending class is an absolute requirement when pursuing that A. Just by showing up,
you give yourself the chance to stay up to date with class assignments, due dates and
schedule changes that may occur throughout the semester. Consider these tips next time
you are thinking of skipping class:
Studying
When we study, information is processed and dedicated to our memory. This allows us to
repeat that information later when the occasion arises. Without studying, you run the risk
of being caught off-guard with questions from instructors, who expect you to know the
information they assigned for you to study. The best way to avoid those situations is to
consider these tips that follow:
5
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!6
o Strive to avoid any distractions that will make you forget the information studied
Organization
!7
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8
Health
Chapter 2:
HEALTH
!9
Health
Sleep
A healthy amount of sleep can keep the body from going into a total state of stress. This
state is caused by the body pushing harder to continue performing tasks that would be
easier to undertake with more sleep. Avoid stressing yourself out, and consider these tips to
get yourself well rested:
The more often you sleep, the greater quality of sleep that you have. Long periods of
consistently good sleep will intensify the effects that sleep can have your body. Therefore,
we recommend sleeping often to reach your greatest potentials!
!
10
Health
Meditation
The following instructions will help you cope with school stress by the medium of
meditation.
Meditation is an essential key to be stress free. Although not used as often, it relaxes the
mind when you have lots of clutter in your mind. There are many types of meditation
exercises to help you cope with stress, but you could simply start by following sequence.
1. Find a quiet place where you can be alone if possible. (This technique may be done in
crowded places as long as it is appropriate for you to close your eyes. If you cannot
escape to your bedroom or other isolated spot, you can always close the stall door in
a public facility to achieve some degree of aloneness and privacy.)
2. Sit in a comfortable position.
3. Relax your motor muscles i.e. arms, legs.
4. Decrease your breathing rate.
5. Decreasing the rate of your other body functions.
6. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Let your thoughts come and go
7. Start to visualize a particular object-for example, a rose.
8. In your thoughts, start to repeat the word for the object-"rose"-over and over, at any
speed or rhythm it wants to go.
9. As you continue to repeat the word, start to imagine the rose opening and closing in
the same rhythm.
10.If distracting thoughts come into your mind, let them pass through. Continue to
repeat your word and see its image. (Often, worries of the day, like "what shall I have
for dinner" or "I have three exams to study for," will flow through your mind to
distract you.
11.Keep this process going for up to twenty minutes.
12.When it is time to stop, open your eyes slowly.
You should feel relaxed, refreshed, and less anxious after trying this technique. We
recommend you implementing meditation into your everyday routine to maximize the stress
management possibilities.
!11
Substance Abuse
Lets face it, this is college. Drugs and alcohol are around you whether you know it or not.
The best part about it is you are the one in charge of your life, and the decision of whether
or not you choose to use these substances is yours. Using substances adds an unnecessary
layer of complexity to your life, and can build more stress on yourself. When you find
yourself in a situation with substances present, remember these tips to make your
experience a good one:
Consume in moderation
o Alcohol makes you feel good. Keep in mind that this is your body reacting to
poison, dehydrating your cells in the brain, heart, kidney and liver. If you keep it
in moderation, and drink plenty of water before and after, the effects on your body
will be significantly lower.
Not everyone drinks - there are many other ways to have fun
o For the most part, college is the first time that young adults are exposed to drugs
and alcohol. Some argue that they are a part of the college experience, and
others strongly disagree, arguing that there are several other ways to have fun,
and substances can only bring you down. Neither is right or wrong. Only you can
control what you do with your time, so choose wisely
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Relaxation
!13
Chapter 3:
RELAXATION
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14
Relaxation
Relaxation
Socialization
Socializing is an extraordinary way to deal with stress, as dealing with others will allow you
to stop focusing on the problems that cause you distress. These steps, while very good
guidelines, do not specify the only way to socialize. There are many ways to adequately
meet and become friends with people. The following instructions will guide you through
socializing in college:
To socialize in college, one should:
Be enrolled in college
Be able to travel to college
events, both on and off campus
Be clean and observe proper
hygiene
!15
Once you have finally talked to a small variety of people, and gained their contact
information for future get-togethers, you have successfully socialized. At this point, you
may notice a certain calmness in yourself as your stress is relieved while enjoying the
company of others.
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16
Relaxation
Extracurricular Activities
At this point, you are involved in extracurricular activities, and are properly taking steps to
manage stress using this method.
!17
Yoga
A few yoga exercises practiced daily help to regulate the breath and relax the body. This is
done by gently releasing tension from the large muscle groups, flushing all parts of the
body and brain with fresh blood, oxygen, and other nutrients, and increasing feelings of
wellbeing. Here are a few simple yoga poses to help you relieve your stress:
Supported Bridge
5. To come out, press your feet down strongly and lift your hips before removing the
block and releasing to the floor.
6. Take your feet
and let you
other.
7. Stay there
several breaths.
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18
Relaxation
!19
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20
FAQs
Conclusion
We hope that this manual can give you a better idea of how to manage the stress that
comes with college. Managing stress correctly can help you feel better about yourself, and
will provide a genuinely better outlook on life. There are plenty of methods you can
consider, so we recommend trying to find what suits you best. When you find what
methods work best for you, try to implement your plan of stress management into your
everyday routine to maximize the stress relief potentials!
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FAQs
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22
FAQs
FAQs
Can this manual be used for people other than college students?
o Some aspects of this manual are universal, however it was developed with a
focus on college students.
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Index
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24
alcohol, 9
breaks, 5
breathing, 8
Class, 1, 4
Extracurricular Activities, 12
Meditation, 1, 8
Index
Sleep, 1, 7
socializing, 11
Studying, 1, 5
Time, 1, 3
Yoga, 13