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Stress

What is Stress?

All of us suffer from stress and anxiety at different times in our lives, and at different levels of intensity.

It can be defined in terms of experiencing too much challenge, when you may feel the demands on you exceed your resources, or through experiencing too little challenge when you may feel bored and listless. A certain amount of challenge or stimulation is healthy and can provide excitement and motivation, improving our performance and sense of well being.

Physical Effects

Headaches, aches and pains, digestive disturbance, sweating, shaking, skin rash, dizziness, tiredness, blurred vision, palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea.

Emotional Effects

Anxiety, depression, low self esteem, frustration, anger, apathy, mood swings, panic.

Behavioural Effects

Social withdrawl, eating and sleeping disturbances, excessive drinking, smoking or drug taking, risk taking, tearfulness.

Cognitive Effects

Loss of concentration, difficulty with decision making, loss of short term memory.

It is important to develop sensitivity to our own early warning signals and to deal with stress before it becomes chronic and disabling.

Causes of Stress?

Stress usually has a number of inter-related causes for each individual. In order to decide on how to deal with your stress you may need to identify the main contributing factors. Stress can come from individual, interpersonal, or wider organisational community or universal sources.

• Individual : Unrealistic expectations of self, time management difficulties, feelings of inadequacy, inabililty to set limits, money worries, isolation etc.
• Interpersonal : Unrealistic demands from family, lecturers etc. Discrimination, lack of respect, inadequate support.
• Wider Sources : Noise pollution, space congestion, inadequate accomodation, threat of danger, war, exam and presentation anxiety.

Managing Stress

Everyone finds different ways of coping with stress which are effective for them. Here are some general guidelines which may be helpful;

• Become knowledgeable about your own early warning signals of stress.
• Anticipate and plan for stressful periods.
• Look after yourself physically, concentrate on your diet, exercising and rest.
• Choose an effective way of relaxing and use it regularly.
• Take care of yourself emotionally, let your feelings out, don't bottle them up.
• Establish a support network.
• Establish your priorities and manage your time effectively.
• Learn to say 'NO' and set limits.
• Reward yourself, and give yourself credit for things you have achieved.
• Self talk - notice your internal conversations and make them as positive as you can.
• Accelpt yourself and acknowledge that you can't be perfect at everything.
• Where possible avoid people / things that cause you stress.

Emergency Exercises

In situations where you may feel overwhelmed by stress, e.g before an exam or presentation, and where there is no time to put other more time consuming ways of dealing with stress into motion, there is a quick way of reducing your anxiety a little which may help you cope more effectively.

STOP! An Emergency Quick Relaxation Technique

Remember that mental stress will lessen when you relax muscles. This really dose happen, even when you may be in a situation where only partial relaxation is possible. Don't believe that you are the sort of person who can never relax. You can. Everyone can to some degree, but strong feelings of tension make relaxation difficult especially if they are allowed to build up. So recognise your feelings of tension (even if these seem to you to be weird or alarming). Accept them for what they are. Use the STOP! technique to lower the arousal and bring it back to manageable limits. Do this before it gets out of hand.

1. Say STOP! to yourself (out loud if the situation permits).
2. Breathe in, hold it briefly.
3. Breathe out slowly, relaxing shoulders and hands.
4. Pause.
5. Breathe in again.
6. Breathe out slowly, relaxing forehead and jaw.
7. Stay quiet for a few seconds.
8. Carry on with whatever you were doing. (If you have to talk, speak a little more slowly and with a lower than normal tone).

Thi STOP! relaxation can usually be done without anyone noticing. You will fid that in spite of your feelings, the tension will lessen.

Sources of Help

The University Counselling service has trained counsellors who can help you explore these issues. We also have a library of books on many subjects including Stress and Anxiety, which can be borrowed witha £5 deposit.

The Counselling Service also runs courses on managing and controlling Stress.