Stress: a common symptom felt among many college students because of factors including, but not limited to, a rigorous course load, hectic work schedule and chaotic relationships among friends, family members and significant others.
Many times students think stress only affects them mentally or emotionally.
But too much stress can drain a person physically, leading to more serious problems and higher levels of stress.
Denelle Walker, a communication studies sophomore, knows firsthand how a stressful lifestyle can deteriorate one’s physical wellness.
Returning to school after a summer vacation filled with long days at work and little sleep, Walker dove headfirst into academics and several student organizations.
Maintaining her schedule soon took its toll, and as her life become more complicated, she realized that something had to go.
“One of my goals is to make the Dean’s List, so I have to keep my grades up,” she said. “I also believe leadership activities and student organizations are important because they enhance the college experience.”
So Walker decided that to have more time for schoolwork and leadership activities, she would reduce the time she spent sleeping.
Her decision proved detrimental. Just days later she became sick and two weeks later remains ill.
Wellness Education Coordinator Amy Cavender said stress can make an existing illness worse.
Cavender said it’s very important students make their health and overall wellness a top priority in their lives.
Cavender led a seminar on stress management at the Black Student Leadership Conference where she asked students what they did for fun. She was shocked to hear them answer, “Sleep.”
“Sleep is not typically considered fun,” she said. “It’s a necessity.”
Cavender said it’s traditionally recommended people get at least eight hours of sleep per night.
“People need rest in order to take care of themselves,” she said. “That can be done by catching up on sleep, freeing an afternoon to wash laundry or taking a walk on the Parade Ground.”
Cavender said stress is linked to sleeping habits, decline or increase in appetite and a person’s interactions with others.
“Someone under high levels of stress may find they snap at a person in instances they normally would not have, when in reality it’s not that person’s fault,” she said. “They’re just an addition to already existing problems.”
Stress is linked greatly to time-management.
Cavender suggests three time-management tools to limit the amount of stress in a person’s life.
The first is a day planner and second is a to-do list. The third step is using the word “no.”
Amy Scales, an undecided sophomore, said she religiously maintains her planner as well as to-do lists, but finds it hard to say no.
“When people specifically ask for your help with something it’s really difficult to turn them away,” she said. “It feels as if things you may not want to do become things you have to do because you really want to help that person out.”
Cavender said a lot of things students feel they have to do can be avoided with the word “no.”
“People may desire a lot of our time, but we need to be willing to say what we can and cannot devote our time to,” she said. “If we commit to six different projects at once, there’s no way we can be our best at all of them.”
Cavender said at her most recent seminar she had the participants make two lists. One listed the five things they valued most, and the other listed the things they spent most of the time on.
“One way to alleviate stress is to give yourself enough time for the things you find important,” she said.