Happy Monday, Lutes!
My blogpost this week has a slightly different feel than
usual. While thinking of topics to write about for this blog, I always try to
find an avenue through which I can offer some insight, tips, or suggestions –
whether it relates to residence halls, meal plans, job interviews, or anything
in between. This week, however, I want to shift your attention towards
something most of us (read: all) deal with from time to time; the feeling of being
stressed and/or anxious. It comes as no surprise that college students often find
themselves stressed with meeting deadlines and keeping up with our workload, but
further than that, more and more students are struggling with stress and
anxiety beyond just school itself.
Despite Mental Health Month being in May, I figured that the
beginning of the semester would be a better time to discuss the importance of
maintaining one’s mental health. After all, education is
the first step towards preventing and coping with difficulties with mental
health. Given the scope of this topic, I will narrow the focus on symptoms and
signs of being stressed and anxious – and walking you through some steps you
can take to cope with and handle these feelings. I myself have been feeling
particularly overwhelmed and anxious recently, so more than anything I want to
let you all know that you are not alone in feeling this way! To start off, let’s
look at some different levels of stress and how they vary.
What is Stress?
They ways in which stress manifests is often referred to as a
“fight or flight” response. As the words suggest, the feeling of being stressed
causes our bodies to either run away from a stressor, or tense up and fight
against it. In other words, stress is our body’s natural reaction to a
challenge. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), there are
three types of stress: acute, episodic acute, and chronic.
Symptoms and Signs
The descriptions above give you general idea as to whether the stress you are feeling is rooted in everyday concerns and difficulties, or if the problem goes beyond surface-level stressors. Realizing that the feelings you are experiencing are a result of stress can help you navigate your emotional and cognitive state during distress. Although searching for symptoms in and of itself is rarely relaxing - it is helpful to know which symptoms to look out for when you're feeling overwhelmed.
Here are a some different symptoms and signs of feeling stressed:
Stress vs. Anxiety: What’s
the Difference?
People often confuse the feeling of stress for being
anxious. This is not surprising, as the two share many similar symptoms and
signs – the feelings are similar in many ways. Stressful feelings include
feeling frustrated or nervous, and these feelings usually
relate to everyday stressors which may cause us to feel overwhelmed. Stress isn’t
necessarily always bad either. Think about the feeling you get in your stomach
prior to taking a big exam, or giving a presentation. In moments like these,
stress is not only expected, it might actually help you prepare for and succeed
at the task at hand. Anxious feelings, on the other hand, include fear, unease, and worry.
The key difference between stress and anxiety is whether
what you’re feeling is a reaction to things that are happening now (stress),
versus worrying over situations that may or may not happen in the future
(anxiety). A constant feeling of being on the edge and worried about something –
usually fearing the worst – are intrinsic to feeling anxious. Anxiety is the
stress that persists even after the stressor is gone. It is important to note
that anxiety can instill a feeling of hopelessness due to the overwhelming
nature of thoughts and feelings that come along with being anxious. This sense
of not knowing what to do or how to pause your thoughts can cause significant
distress in one’s life. Understanding the feeling as your body’s natural response
to a situation can help alleviate some tension when dealing with anxiety.
Feeling stressed is not the same as being anxious. Stress is
something that is usually temporary and can be alleviated; anxiety might be a constant,
unrelenting sensation which might require professional resources in order to
treat.
How to Cope with Anxiety
Approach, don’t avoid.
A common symptom of anxiety disorder is to intentionally avoid situations that
trigger your anxiety. Avoidance, however, tends to make anxiety worse over
time. Avoidance can help prevent anxiety in the short-run, however, it is
important to deal with anxiety head-on by taking small steps to approach
anxiety-provoking situations in order to make long-term progress. This is
easier said than done, and if you find it impossible to make progress in this
area on your own, it is time to reach out to a professional.
Keep yourself busy.
This is a similar philosophy to approaching anxiety head-on, but the main
purpose behind this strategy is getting out of your own head. The trickiness
with anxiety is that it can lead you to feel as though you’re trapped with your
own thoughts, and a common symptom of anxiety is not being able to shift your
focus away from your worries. The easiest way to get out of such a headspace is
to keep yourself busy. Again, this is not always possible when experiencing particularly
intense anxiety, but it may help prevent a state of panic if you are able to
keep yourself busy with things that don’t allow you to think too much.
Learn your triggers.
Is your anxiousness tied to your family, friends, relationships, or school? A
helpful way to deconstruct your anxiety can be to identify certain patterns in
the thoughts/situations that trigger anxiety. Writing down your unfiltered
feelings in a journal can help you identify some common themes or patterns in
your fears and worries. Getting a sense of what lies behind your fear can help you
put it into a greater perspective, consequently making it feel less like a “real
fear” you should be concerned with, and more like a product of underlying concerns.
Put things into
perspective. Whenever I feel as though my anxiety is taking over, I make a
point of identifying things that I am grateful for, which takes me out of a
clouded headspace. I will say, this isn’t easy if you are experiencing a panic
attack, but if you are able to steer your thoughts, try and guide them towards
a bigger picture that might make your worries or fears seem less impactful.
Asking yourself “Is it really as bad as I think?” can make you realize that the
threat you're facing is not as bad as you might feel like it is.
Deep breaths. Focused
breathing has proven to be an effective coping method for reducing anxiety. This
is a mindfulness approach to coping with anxiety, which I encourage you to read
further into if you find yourself feeling extremely anxious. Inhale and exhale
slowly. Repeat, and focus solely on your breathing until you feel the tension
in your body begin to release. If your mind starts wandering while performing
this exercise, keep shifting your focus back to your breathing as many times as
you need. The goal is simply to give your mind a break from constant spinning
thoughts.
Talk to someone. When
you can’t take another minute of what is going on inside your head, it’s time
to talk to someone. Contact a person you trust and who knows you well, and
discuss what is bothering you. Tell them that you are feeling overwhelmed, and
let them know that you might need them to follow up with you in the next few
days. If you don’t want to talk anyone
at the moment, you can write your thoughts and feelings down in a journal or a
piece of paper. If you feel as though none of your friends or family are able
to help you, you should really consider making a call to the counseling center.
When is it time to ask for
help?
Although self-help coping strategies for anxiety can be very
effective, if your worries, fears, or panic attacks have become so great that
they’re causing extreme distress or disrupting your daily routine, it is
important to seek professional help. A tell-tale sign that you should pursue counseling
is if you’ve started to avoid certain situations because you’re afraid of
becoming anxious or having a panic attack. The good news is that panic attacks –
and anxiety in general – is highly treatable. Anxiety disorders respond very
well to therapy, and usually within a relatively short amount of time. In fact,
many people only need around 5 to 8 treatment sessions before seeing
significant improvement.
Campus resources
Luckily, PLU has great resources available to those who
struggle with extreme stress and anxiety. The
PLU Counseling Center is a free mental health counseling resource available to
all currently enrolled students. It is located on the third floor
of the Anderson University Center (Room 300), and offers the help of an experienced team of
licensed psychologists and mental health counselors. Your first appointment will serve as a “screening intake”
visit. This means that you will meet with one of the licensed psychologists
or mental health counselors to talk about your concerns and determine the best
plan of action. From there, you can create a plan for how to go about
treating your anxiety.
Due to confidentiality concerns, all appointments must be
made by phone or by visiting their office. To schedule an appointment with the
PLU Counseling Center, call (253)-535-7206.
** For urgent mental health support after business hours (including weekends
and holidays), contact the Counseling Center Crisis Line at 253-535-7075. You will be connected with a crisis line professional who
works closely with PLU’s counseling office.
If you are currently dealing with intense stress and/or anxiety, I hope you leave this blog knowing that 1) You are not alone (!!!), and 2) There is help available to you. Making the first phone call is always the hardest step, but I encourage you all to pay extra attention to your mental health and overall wellbeing this semester. I certainly will :)
-- Megan
