Succeeding in College
Managing Stress Pertaining to Health
by Julie Halter
My college experience has been a long one. It started about eight years ago when I first got out of high school. While I was in high school I had always thought that I would go to a four year college, and then start my career. I ended up enrolling in a junior college and taking easy classes; college was not my priority at the time. Over the years I have taken classes here and there but never made it my number one goal. Last year after working long hours as a bartender dealing with intoxicated people, I made the decision to become a full-time student. It took a lot of thought and consideration but I knew I was doing the right thing. Before deciding to become a full-time student I was faced with many stressors working full time and being a mom. Dealing with stress and the cause and effects it has on your heath will help you be more successful throughout your college career. Since deciding to go back to school I have been able to handle the stress that being in school brings. Taking care of your health, finding out how stress affects your health and being able to eliminate the stressors will further your academic career and your overall health.
Stress has affected my body in a negative way. I have had many different health problems related to stress. One example of my health problems is that I started feeling more tension in my back, and it added to existing back problems due to a car accident. Also I started getting abases in my auxiliary area. By the end of stressful event I had a total of four that needed to be lanced. It was a very painful experience. The last health problem that I experienced was gastrointestinal problems. My irritable bowl syndrome would act up, and I would have to go to the hospital and be put on intravenous fluids because the pain was so bad. At first I did not think my health problems were related to health until I became more educated about stress and the affects it has on your body.
When I first went back to school I was under a lot of stress. My parents were supporting me, so that meant that I had to get good grades and do well or they were going to not back me up anymore. Maisto state that stress is when you experience psychological tension or some sort of strain in your life. There are many different sources of stress. One of the many causes of stress is when you experience change in your life, such as going to school. You might be experiencing lack of sleep, which relates to your overall health. If going back to school means that there will be a lot of changes in your life, you might be experiencing more stress than the normal college student. Another cause of stress is what you experience in your everyday events. Such as those pesky tests that you have to do while you are in school or having problems declaring a major. You may be taking a class you hate; an everyday event can lead to pressure, frustration, and conflict. Another form of stress is what we inflict on ourselves. Sometimes we are in control of how much stress that occurs on a daily level (Charles G. Morris & Albert A. Maisto, 441). Experiencing stressors can have a negative effect on your overall health (Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 982).
As stated in the Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, you may be experiencing acute or chronic stress, or maybe both. Chronic stress is when you are experiencing a stressor on a long-term basis. When a student is experiencing chronic stress, his or her health is going to be affected in a negative way. Your body reacts to stress by releasing a certain amount of hormones, adrenaline and norepinephrine, through out your systems. Once your major stress goes away your body should return to it’s normal hormonal level. In some instances, the body does not return to its normal levels, and you are more prone to chronic stress. I am more prone to chronic stress because my body does not go back to its normal hormone level. To sustain good health your body should be at a regular hormonal level, which stress does not allow (Charles G. Morris & Albert A. Maisto, 442).
One or more of your organ systems might become over active or under active due to the amount of chronic stress you are experiencing (Gale Encyclopedia of mental disorders, 982). For example, your cardiovascular system can be altered. You might have a raise in your blood pressure, increase in heart rate, and cause your arteries to constrict and block the blood flow. Students should be just as worried about the effect that is has on your brain. Acute stress, reaction to an immediate threat, interferes with your short-term memory. Students under chronic stress have problems with their ability to learn and to store information in their memory. You may start finding it hard to concentrate on your assignments or to study for a test. Also affected by stress is the reproductive system. Lack of intimacy due to low hormone levels may have a negative effect on student’s relationships. Students might become less interested in sex and stress may also, may cause impotence in men (Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 982). You might be affected by one of these systems, such as cardiovascular. Other people are affected by a combination of cardiovascular, brain, and the reproductive system. Stress affects people in different ways. Knowing how stress is affecting you will help manage and eliminate it from your life.
Charles G. Morris & Albert A. Maisto, state that learning how to mange your stress will help with your overall health and in having a more successful college career. There are many different copping skills and you must find the one that works for you best. One of the ways that you can reduce stress and improve health is to exercise. People who exercise tend to have a higher self-esteem, less likely to feel depressed, less anxiety and have a stronger immune system. Prioritizing your life well help you cope better with stress. Make a list of your responsibilities from most important and work your way down. You will know what is most important for you to do and not sweat the smaller responsibilities. Cut out things that are not necessary for you to be successful, such as going out with friends on the weekends or working over-time to get the pair of shoes you been wanting. Fill your time up with positive activities that will help you further yourself academically.
Charles G. Morris & Albert A. Maisto state, one way to manage your stress is to learn how to ask for help. You don’t have to keep struggling all alone. Talk to someone about how you are feeling. Having a good relationship with your spouse is key. Having a good relationship with him or her will improve your immune system, endocrine and cardiac functions. Sometimes you are not able to acclimate stress in your life but you are able to change the way you see things, positive reappraisal. Finding a positive way to think of a situation, like having a sense of humor goes along with having a healthy body. You need to develop a healthy lifestyle to be successful in school as well as life (Charles G. Morris & Albert A. Maisto, 994).
Success in college is up to the individual. There is no right and wrong way to get through your college years. Knowing the causes and effects of stress will help you better mange your college career. Making sure that your overall health is where you want it to be will ensure that you are heading in the right path to college success. You need to take care of yourself mentally, just as well as your general health. Make sure to reach out if you are in need of assistance. I was experiencing an extreme amount of stress when I first went back to school and I have a few health problems that affect me to this day. I figured out what stress-reducing strategies worked for me best. I made myself a priority and eventually some of my stress minimized. Learning about stress has enabled me to have a great start to my academic success.
