Thriving Under Stress

Stress is one of the unavoidable hurdles that we experience as students or young adults. Everyone gets stressed from time to time, but just remember that not all stress is bad. Understanding the balance of stress can shift our mentality to be more optimistic when we deal with stress.

Based on the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), stress signals the body to prepare to face a threat or flee to safety, or what is often known  as “fight or flight.” In dangerous situations, our body responds to stress by breathing faster or telling our brain to use more oxygen for survival. Yet in non-life-threatening situations, stress can motivate us to learn and focus on achieving our goals. According to UC Berkeley professor Daniela Kaufer who studies the biology of stress, short-lived stress can actually improve our alertness, performance, and boost memory. 

Let’s take a look at this stress continuum graph from Cornell Health:

• Healthy tension (green zone)

  Moderate stress is normal at times. This motivates us to do our best whether it is studying for a test or preparing for a job interview. This is considered good stress when we feel challenged, but in control, as we work towards our goals. 
  

• Peak performance (top of curve zone)

  In order to achieve our personal best – academically, or otherwise – we need to be well-prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally. This comes from a place of healthy tension (green zone), balanced with self-care practices that bolster resilience.
  

• Imbalance (yellow zone)

  When daily pressures build and self-care is ignored, we can experience irritability, fatigue, aches and pains, sleep problems, and a decline in focus and productivity. But it’s not too late to move back to the healthy tension zone. Rising stress can be brought back down to a more manageable level through stress management techniques and self-care practices (discussed below).
  

• Breakdown (red zone)

  When stress is left unchecked, symptoms can worsen, causing forgetfulness, serious physical complaints, illness, and feelings of anxiety, panic, and/or depression (see more signs that you’re too stressed, below). When a breakdown occurs, support and assistance from others are crucial to help us recover.

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Different people possess different workload capacities or approach challenges differently. As you improve your stress management skills, you will improve your resilience to increase productivity at your peak performance. Identifying what level of stress you are at not only helps improve your stress management skills but also prevent you from staying in the red zone, which can lead to mental and physical exhaustion or even illness.

Here are some signs that you are in the yellow or red stress zone:

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Physical Symptoms

• Frequent sweating

• Increased heart rate

• Increase blood pressure

• Headaches 

• Muscle tension

• Stomachaches

• Frequent illness

• Sleep disturbances

• Diarrhea or constipation

• Fatigue/exhaustion

• Vague aches and pains

• Appetite or weight changes

Emotional Symptoms

• Irritability

• Anxiety, fear, worry

• Feeling overwhelmed

• Anger

• Sadness, crying

• Loss of pleasure in things once enjoyed

• Depression

• Hopelessness, loneliness

Cognitive Symptoms

• Difficulty retaining information read or heard

• Unwanted or repetitive thoughts

• Poor concentration

• Disorganization, forgetfulness

• Deterioration in quality or quantity of work

• Overusing alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to relieve stress

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Take this stress screener from Mental Health America to dive deeper into understanding your stress level.

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Here are ways to manage stress:

• Improve your time management skills

  Find ways to be more organized and efficient with the time you have every week, whether it is using a planner, Google Calendar, or a productivity app. Try to focus on the things you can get done today, and accept that you cannot do everything at once. Sometimes you might have to say no to things to make time for what is more important. Take a look at the urgency matrix below to help you prioritize your tasks.

urgency matrix from: powerfoodhealth.com

• Practice breathing exercises

  Take slow, deep breathing exercises like this 16-second trick to help you calm down and reset your headspace.

• Practice meditation

  Meditation is a great way to give yourself a mental break and help you put things back in perspective. You can start with just a few minutes at a time, then can work your way up to a 10-15 minutes session daily or a few times a week up to your comfort. Try popular guided meditation apps like Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer, or Aura.

• Practice self-care

  Find your ways to practice self-care and do what makes you happy. Personalize your self-care practices based on your 8 dimensions of wellness like we’ve discussed in the last reading.

• Connect with others

  Social support is another way to buffer stress and check in with your mental wellness, and there’s actually science behind it! Based on Kaufer’s interview, “Researchers have identified a hormone called oxytocin that reduces the stress response. According to psychologist Kelly McGonigal, oxytocin is enhanced by social contact and support.” You can start with a quick call or text to check in with your friends or family and they will also check in with how you are doing. Learn more on how to connect socially in a pandemic in the later readings. 

If you are having trouble managing your stress still, check with your school or workplace if they provide support services. There are also many online support groups like Turn2Me, the ADAA support group, or Daily Strength that are here for you. Even though the use of alcohol, tobacco, or drugs is common to help relieve stress, it is not an ideal way to treat stress in the long run. If you show signs of addiction, there are also many specific support groups like Alcoholic Anonymous or other 12 step programs to help you out.