As midterms quickly creep closer and closer (although for some, such as yours truly, the nightmare called midterm exams has already begun) so does every university student’s invisible arch-nemesis: stress. The beautiful colours of autumn seem to fade into black and white, and you feel as if you can’t escape from the iron-grip clutches of anxiety that demolish all hope and enjoyment in the weeks leading to the exam. Want to get a bubble tea study break with your friends? Stress reminds you that those unopened textbooks sitting on your desk are calling your name. Feeling the need to study? Stress will render you completely paralyzed and unable to absorb any information. No matter what you do during this exam season, it always seems that stress is out to get you.
What if instead of letting stress control you, you could control your stress? I know it is easier said than done, but there are methods of not only alleviating stress, but also making stress work in your favour. So how do you do it? Well, everyone knows to capitalize on the good things and get rid of the bad. That’s just what you need to do with stress. It’s a common misconception that all stress in bad. In reality, stress is composed of a plethora of different types and forms, and it is up to you to know which ones to keep and which ones to leave.
In general, stress refers to your body’s response to any external stimuli, be it good or bad. Whenever there is a perceived threat, your nervous system floods your body with stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which preps the body for immediate action. Your heart will beat faster, muscles will tighten, blood pressure will rise, breath quickens, pupils dilate, all heightening your physical capabilities to be better able to react in the “fight or flight” mobilization. This was especially important during the early human ages, as the build-up of stress and tension that garners increased physical fitness allow for those split-second decisions that may ensure an individual’s survival. But now that we are in a world where we no longer have to be worried about being hunted down by major predators, this mechanism of stress as a means of survival has now become obsolete. So what use does stress have now?
As mentioned before, stress comes in a variety of forms. Sometimes, stress seems to never end, nothing seems to bring you joy and happiness, and you are tense to the point of being unable to properly take care of yourself – otherwise known as distress. There is also the type of stress that can motivate you to keep working, give you a manageable amount of challenge, and increase your productivity. This type of stress is called eustress, which translates to “good stress”. Essentially, stress can be seen as somewhat of a spectrum. When there is just a bit of stress and tension that will help motivate you and increase your productivity, that is within the realm of eustress. But as the stress piles on and starts to go out of your comfort zone, the eustress slowly starts to dip into the world of distress, where instead of being conducive to your well-being, it becomes more and more toxic to your mental health.
So how do you usually experience eustress? Everyone will have different levels of stress tolerance, which is the power to endure stress. The level of stress that is within the range of eustress will differ between individuals. Hence, the experience of eustress will be unique for everyone. The type of stressor will contribute to how much eustress or distress you experience as well. For example, positive personal stressors such as receiving a promotion at work, marriage, buying a home, having children, holidays, learning new hobbies and similar activities will contribute to your eustress. Alternatively, negative personal stressors such as the death of a loved one, divorce, poor test performance, sleep issues, relationship issues and others will fuel more distress. Although you cannot control every single event that occurs in your life, you can still employ a variety of methods to keep your stress levels in your comfortable stress tolerance range.
Everyone will have different ways of coping with stress, and it does take time to find out what works for you. But in case you haven’t found the perfect de-stressing formula, here are some true and tried ways to keep stress in an optimum range:
- Go exercise. Whether it may be going out for a quick run or swimming laps at the pool a bit of cardiovascular exercise is a healthy and rewarding way to let out all the pent-up tension. I personally prefer to swim a few laps at the pool since: a) you really don’t feel like you’re exercising since your sweat gets washed away by the water, b) you can release your pent-up tension through kicking and pulling the water and c), the weightlessness of the water and the steady rhythm of your strokes puts you in a “zone” of near-meditation. If swimming is not for you, going out for a jog does the trick just as well.
- Try to plan your studying and assignments early and write down the due dates somewhere that you can always refer to. Make sure you start reviewing for tests and major assignments early; it helps to start on them the day you get the assignment. This will lessen the amount of cramming you have to do the day before, which does wonders for stress levels. But how do you get the motivation to start planning? Check out bullet-journaling. Though it may seem like it takes a long time to prepare, the end result (as seen on many a Pinterest photo) will make everything worth it. What I find helpful is getting a calendar with boxes for each date, then writing down everything I have due, from assignments to tests, whenever I know about it. Visual reminders to keep you on track are key!
- Remember to schedule in some breaks between your studying. Not only will studying for 6 straight hours frazzle your nerves, the cramming is also detrimental to the quality of your studying. A possible method would be to set a timer for 45 minutes, and only focus on studying for the 45 minutes. Then take a 15-minute break – listen to music, watch YouTube videos, go on Facebook – whatever you want, just don’t study. Then, after the 15 minutes are up, go straight back to work.
- Try breaking down your studying into mini-goals. For example, set out to finish reading and making notes for a certain chapter. On an Excel sheet, put down the predicted times you need to complete the task. When you finish each task, check it off your to-do list and write down the time it took you to complete the task. Take a 5 to 15-minute break, and then start on your next task. Set goals and small rewards for yourself as you reach milestones. For example, for every five tasks you complete, reward yourself with a bowl of ice cream, or your favourite food.
- Contrary to popular belief, getting ample “down-time” during midterm season is crucial! Do make the time to just hang out with your friends, do make the time to attend socials, do make the time to treat yourself to some bubble tea. The relaxation from the “down-time” will not only help calm those pre-midterm jitters, but they will also allow you to recharge and be able to maximize productivity during study sessions so that you can study for less time, yet still retain more information. Once you retained enough information, you won’t feel the pre-test anxiety because you know the material inside out – thus further decreasing your stress.
- Sleep, sleep, sleep! If there is one thing that can be said to be the ultimate key to success, that would be a good night’s rest. Sleep deprivation will often result in a cranky attitude, an inability to concentrate in class, and increased susceptibility to irritation. It also has significant impacts on memory retention; as everyone knows, a lot of the pre-exam stress comes from the lack of confidence in the knowledge of the material. Essentially, sleep will not only help you reduce stress on a daily basis, it will also help boost your memory, setting you up to feel and be much more prepared for the upcoming tests.
Of course, the tips above are only a portion of a non-exhaustive list of methods to reduce stress. The best way to find out what suits you would be to experiment with different coping methods, and seeing which ones yield the most relaxed state of mind. Remember, the key is to not let stress work you, but make stress work for you. Instead of making stress your archenemy, become the best of friends of eustress and minimize your interactions with distress.
References:
By Recognizing the Symptoms and Causes of Stress, You Can Take the First Steps to Reducing Its Harmful Effects and Improving Your Quality of Life. “Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes.” : Recognizing the Harmful Effects of Stress and What You Can Do About It. Accessed October 1, 2016. http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm.
By the Way Author…. You Have General Info on Stress, Maybe You Should Go in More Detail about Eustress vs. Distress. “Types Of Stressors (Eustress Vs. Distress).” Mental Help Types of Stressors Eustress vs Distress Comments. Accessed October 1, 2016. https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/types-of-stressors-eustress-vs-distress/.
“Eustress vs Distress.” Brock University – Welcome to Brock. Accessed October 1, 2016. https://brocku.ca/health-services/health-education/stress/eustress-distress.
“NIMH » Fact Sheet on Stress.” U.S National Library of Medicine. Accessed October 1, 2016. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml.
“Stress – Canadian Mental Health Association.” Canadian Mental Health Association. Accessed October 1, 2016. http://www.cmha.ca/mental-health/your-mental-health/stress/.
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