Self Help

Stress is the physiological or psychological response to internal or external stressors. Stress can impact almost every system throughout the body, including emotions, behavior, and physical health. Stress can occur in the short-term in response to a specific challenge or in the long-term in response to chronic engagement with stressors. Stressors can include life changes, work or academic pressure, or relationship issues.

Everyone experiences stress! Stress is a natural response and can be both adaptive and maladaptive. In some ways, stress can help people respond to immediate concerns by enhancing performance and focus but sometimes stress can be overwhelming and can impact mental, emotional, and physical health.

If you believe that you are having difficulty managing your stress levels, there are various steps that you can take to begin addressing this concern.

Skills/Strategies
- Box Breathing
  - Inhale for 4 seconds.
  - Hold for 4 seconds.
  - Exhale for 4 seconds.
  - Hold for 4 seconds.
  - Repeat for 1–5 minutes.
  - This is useful for test anxiety, presentations, and feeling overwhelmed.
- 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
  - Notice:
    - 5 things you can see
    - 4 things you can feel
    - 3 things you can hear
    - 2 things you can smell
    - 1 thing you can taste
  - This is helpful for anxiety, panic, and racing thoughts.
- Fact or Fear Exercise
  - Ask Yourself
    - Is this fact or fear?
    - What evidence supports this thought?
    - What would I tell a friend?
  - This helps challenge unhelpful thinking patterns.
Time Management
- A common contributing factor to maladaptive stress is a lack of time management, improving your skills in this area can help you to better manage busy workloads and subsequent stress. Experiment with these tools to improve time management skills:
  - The Top 3 Method
    - Each morning ask: "What are the three most important things I need to accomplish today?"
    - Complete those before less important tasks.
  - Time Blocking Technique
    - Instead of a to-do list, schedule tasks on your calendar.
      - Example:
        
        9:00–10:00 Chemistry
        
        10:15–11:00 Email
        
        1:00–2:30 Study
        
        3:00 Gym
  - Pomodoro Technique
    - Work for 25 minutes
    - Take a 5-minute break
    - Repeat four times
    - Take a longer 20–30 minute break
Routines
- Building healthy self-care routines can help to improve your resilience in the face of stress. Self-care is not about doing everything perfectly! It’s about consistently doing small things that help you to care for your mind & body. Below you’ll find some ideas on how to begin implementing self-care into your daily routine:
  - Build a Morning Anchor
    - Choose one healthy habit to do every morning.
    - Examples:
      - Drink a glass of water
      - Stretch for two minutes
      - Open the blinds
      - Practice one minute of deep breathing
      - Write one intention for the day
  - Schedule Self-Care Like a Class
    - Instead of hoping you'll have time later, put it on your calendar.
    - Examples:
      - Gym: Tuesday 4:00
      - Walk: Thursday 6:00
      - Call family: Sunday afternoon
      - Meal prep: Saturday morning
Self-Compassion
- Don’t beat yourself up! Remember that stress is natural, it is just your body’s way of trying to prepare you. Take a deep breath, give yourself a break and acknowledge that this happens sometimes; it doesn’t mean that you’re any less prepared, knowledgeable, or capable.

Below you’ll find even more resources to help you continue learning how to successfully manage stress.

While it’s completely normal to experience stress during college life, if you find that you are implementing the strategies discussed above and find that stress is still having a significant negative impact on your overall wellbeing it may be time to seek professional help. Contact U.C.W.C. to schedule an Initial Consultation.

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