Most of us have heard the term "stress" and likely have experienced it more than once. Oftentimes, however, people don't talk about college life and stress in the same sentence. Actually, college ranks as one of the most potentially stressful times of your life. Yet no college-prep course prepares you for the pressure--and nobody hands out the rule sheets.

STRESS. It's that collection of mounting pressures and creeping anxieties, all-night panics and heart-pounding emotions. It's the agony of making big decisions, or coping with a maze of small problems. Each of us perceives stress and copes with it in a different way. A situation that is comfortable--even energizing--for one person may drive another up the wall. So each of us has a "stress threshold" and when that personal limit is crossed, we can experience some very negative effects, emotionally and physically.

This handout contains information, ideas, and techniques that can help make the special stresses of college life a bit more manageable. There is one important point worth remembering: Stress is not only something that can wear you out, it's also the driving force that can get things done. You can't avoid all pressure unless your life's ambition is to be a vegetable. The challenge is to understand where the stress is coming from, what it does to your head and your health, and how to keep it at a level that works for you.

The Big Five

Five types of pressures seem to cause students the most trouble during college:

• Separation from family: For many, college is the first extended time away from home. No supportive family is around to share your triumphs and miseries, and mom and dad aren't there to remind you what to do and when to do it. You have to get a new set of bearings and establish a new support system to replace those left behind. And that doesn't happen overnight.
• Freedom: At most schools, including UWP, there are few dorm rules, no dress codes, and sometimes not even mandatory class attendance. While that freedom can be exciting and fun, it also can be stressful because now you have to make a lot of decisions on your own and re-examine your values and morals. There are bound to be mistakes, but that's part of the process.
• Competition: There is ever-increasing competition for grades, graduate school slots, and jobs. That pressure can affect your personal life as well as your academic life. How much study time is enough and how much is too much and will lead to burn-out? How much stress is it worth to reach your goal? Competition probably adds to the loneliness that most students experience because so much time can be spent alone working in isolation.
• Peer pressure: Especially in a new environment, most people eagerly seek acceptance. That may mean conforming, whether it's to friends' attitudes toward alcohol, drugs, partying, or studying. It can also mean a pressure to be sexually active, which adds the concern about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Choosing a career: What to major in; what to do with my major; will I really like it; what are the chances of actually getting a job with the major I choose? The increasing expense of a college education can pressure students to choose a major that will pay off later. On top of all this is an uncertain job market. Because of these pressures, some people feel forced to make quick and premature decisions that lock them out of a lot of choices. It can be very helpful to meet with a professional at University Counseling Services to help weed through all the elements of a career choice so that you can feel more comfortable in making a decision.

It's nearly impossible to make it through college without experiencing at least one of the Big Five, and sometimes it's hard to know whether the pressures are spurring you on or dragging you down. Yet making that distinction is essential to your own health and success. What to do? Read on...

Success With Stress

How can you know when you're slipping from a healthy, motivating level of stress into harmful "distress"? Here are some of the telltale symptoms:

• General irritability, hyperexcitedness, or depression.
• Pounding of the heart.
• An overpowering urge to cry or run and hide.
• Inability to concentrate.
• Feelings of unreality, weakness, and dizziness.
• Frequent fatigue.
• Floating anxiety (being afraid, but not knowing what you're afraid of).
• Migraine headaches.
• Emotional tension and alertness (being "keyed up").
• Trembling; nervous tics.
• Tendency to be easily startled by small sounds.
• High-pitched, nervous laughter.
• Stuttering and other speech difficulties.
• Grinding of the teeth.
• Insomnia.
• Sweating.
• Pain in the neck or lower back.
• Frequent urination, diarrhea, indigestion, queasiness, and sometimes even vomiting.
• Missed menstrual periods.
• Loss of or excessive appetite.
• Increased smoking.
• Increased use of prescription drugs.
• Nightmares.
• Accident-proneness.

If you recognize some of these symptoms in yourself and feel they are the result of too much stress, here are some techniques to help you find relief. Consider these a "menu" of options and choose those that sound good to you and are practical for your situation.

1. Work Off Stress: If you are angry, upset, or just stressed, try to blow off steam physically by activities such as running, playing tennis, or working out. Even taking a walk can help. Physical activity allows you a "fight" outlet for stress, and done regularly increases your stress tolerance.
2. Talk Out Your Worries: It helps to share concerns with someone you trust and respect. This may be a friend, family member, teacher, minister, or counselor. Sometimes another person can help you see a new side to your problem and, thus, a new solution. If you find yourself not making progress, it might be wise to seek a professional listener, such as a mental health counselor or psychologist. This is not admitting defeat; it's admitting you're an intelligent person who knows when to ask for assistance.
3. Say "No" More Often: It's amazing how much stress can be eliminated by giving up unrewarding activities, refusing inappropriate requests and turning down invitations you really don't have time for.
4. Learn to Accept What You Cannot Change: If the problem is beyond your control at this time, try your best to accept it until you can change it. It beats spinning your wheels and getting nowhere.
5. Relax Your Standards: Doing everything perfectly is not only unnecessary, it's boring. Life's a lot easier if you ignore a little dirt, take shortcuts when appropriate, let the grass grow a bit higher. Determine and focus on your priorities.
6. Find the Humor In It: Every dilemma has something funny about it if you look for it. A good laugh at yourself and life provides a terrific release of pent-up tension and anxiety.
7. Change Your Perspective: Instead of worrying what will happen if..., try asking yourself, "So what?" -- So what if your sister's birthday gift is a couple days late? So what if you can't get your best outfit cleaned before the party? Will it matter next week, or next year?
8. Avoid Self-Medication: Although there are many chemicals, including alcohol, that can mask stress symptoms, they do not relieve it or help you adjust to the stressor itself. The use of alcohol or drugs is a form of "flight" reaction that can end up causing more stress later. The ability to handle stress comes from within you, not from the outside.
9. Get Enough Sleep & Rest: Lack of sleep can lessen your ability to deal with stress by making you more irritable. Most people need at least 7-8 hours of sleep out of every 24. If stress repeatedly prevents you from sleeping, see your doctor.
10. Get Help With the Jobs You Hate: If you find that certain chores always make you tense--such as paying bills, cleaning, doing laundry--find someone else to do them. Barter or pay for the help if you need to; it's worth it.
11. Establish A Serene Place Of Your Own: Even if it's just a comfortable chair in a quiet corner or a picnic table in a park. If irritating sounds penetrate, wear earplugs or a walkman.
12. Count Your Blessings: Rarely is anything so bad that it couldn't be worse- -and it helps to remember that. After all, you could have lost a hundred dollars instead of ten, or waited in the doctor's office for an hour instead of 20 minutes. Try to appreciate what's going well in your life.
13. Balance Work & Recreation: "All work and no play can make Jack/Jill a nervous wreck." Schedule time for recreation to relax your mind. Overload can short circuit your brain.
14. Take Time Out: to breath deeply, stretch your muscles, nap, meditate, or do a few tension relieving exercises. If you can't arrange a brisk walk, try holding your shoulders in a high shrug for 10 seconds, release and repeat.
15. Do Something For Others: Sometimes when you're distressed, you concentrate too much on yourself and your situation. When this happens, it's often wise to do something for someone else, and get your mind off of yourself. There's an extra bonus here--it helps make friends.
16. Take One Thing At A Time: It's self-defeating to tackle all your tasks at once. Instead, set some aside and work on the most urgent.
17. Unclutter Your Life: Get rid of clothes you never wear, objects that just collect dust, activities you don't enjoy or have time for. Anything you do to simplify your life helps reduce stress.
18. Give In Once In Awhile: If you find the source of your stress is other people, try giving in instead of fighting and insisting you're always right. You may find that others will begin to give in, too.
19. Reward Yourself After Stressful Activities: Stop for a special lunch or treat, relax with a favorite TV show or book after working through a difficult, stress-producing task.
20. Make Yourself Available: When you're bored, stressed or feeling left out, go where there are people. Sitting alone may just make you more frustrated. Instead of withdrawing and feeling sorry for yourself, get involved. Join a campus organization that interests you, get involved in a play, even if it's working on the stage crew, run for Student Senate.