Tag Archives: stress management

Five Ways To Cope With Stress

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As exciting and as fun as college can be, it’s also a very stressful time. Students often feel overwhelmed with the amount of work they have and the late nights of studying for upcoming exams. Here are five quick tips for dealing with your stress. 

Make A Plan

Get organized and make a plan. Be sure to include all the tasks you need to accomplish. Whether you need to take it day-by-day or plan out each week, try to stick to it. 

Eat Well 

When you eat well, you feel well. Eat foods with high levels of vitamin C, like oranges and other citrus food. Consume complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Drinking different types of tea, like mint or chamomile, can also help reduce your stress. 

Exercise

Get those feel-good endorphins running through your body to reduce your stress and have your body feel good. Take some time to go running, take a bike ride, do some yoga, or just take a simple stroll around the neighborhood. However, you choose to exercise, making time will help you feel better. 

Take Breaks

Don’t forget to take breaks. You might think you have way too much to do and there’s not enough time for breaks, but … make time! It doesn’t matter how busy you are, you need a break after all the studying and work you’ve been doing. Whatever outlets you have for taking breaks, do them. Play basketball, go for a walk, watch an episode of a show, take a SHORT nap— whatever you like to do that gives your mind a break. 

Breath

When you start feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take a step back and breath. Consider trying The 4–7–8 breathing technique. Breath in for four seconds, holding the breath for seven seconds and exhaling for eight seconds. This breathing pattern aims to reduce anxiety or and can even help people get to sleep.

Remember, it’s normal to feel stressed in college and there are always people around who are willing to help. If things start to feel overwhelming, reach out to your dean, RA, or check in with our Counseling Center.

 

Five Bible Verses For Stress Relief 

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Ally Romanes

It’s finals week here at PUC which means, if you’re not already a Pioneer, it’s likely finals week for you too. While studying and taking finals can add extra stress to your already stressful life, there’s one thing you can always count on, the Bible! The Bible is filled with advice to help us navigate times of happiness, hardship, and yes, even stress. Here are five verses for when you need a little divine stress relief. 

“Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”  Psalm 55:22
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
“So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:4-6

The Bible tells us time and time again God will strengthen us, comfort us, and help us. When you start feeling stressed, take your worries to God and let him do the rest. And as always, here at PUC, we are blessed to be surrounded by faculty, staff, and students who are always more than willing to take a moment to pray with/for you, (even virtually)! Good luck! 

 

Seven Tips for Mental Health Upkeep

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Ally Romanes 

Like most people, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed from time to time. Stress is something literally everyone deals with and often struggles with. While a lot of times you are able to completely manage it, there are times things may feel out of control. Between the weight of school, work, and your personal life, it can get to be too much. It’s very important for you to take care of your mental health, especially while you’re in college. Here are seven mental health upkeep tips

Sleep

It can be hard to get a good night’s rest during college, but it is a must! The more hours of sleep you get, the more refreshed you will feel in the morning and throughout your day. Your brain needs sleep in order to perform. When you sleep, your brain helps your body heal from all the stress you encountered during the day. Getting more than five hours of sleep will also improve your mood.

Have A Support System

Having a support system will help keep you on your feet. Every student feels stressed and overwhelmed. A strong support system will show that you are not alone and means you will have people to go for help and encouragement. By having your friends, family, and professors by your side, success is much easier to obtain. You can’t do everything on your own! Don’t be afraid to reach out to those people in your support system. 

Have A Healthy Diet

What you eat affects your body, mind, and spirit. The healthier you eat, the better you will feel. Eating a lot of junk food will slow you down both physically and mentally. Skip the chips and opt for a healthy snack!

Get Active

As Elle Woods once said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.”  The more active you are, the more endorphins your body will have. Exercising will boost your mood, take your mind off of stressors, and will help you feel accomplished. You will also have more energy and motivation to get things done. giphy-1

Pray

There is power in prayer. Take all your worries, stress, and burdens to God. He is a source of comfort and strength. Praying about your troubles can help you feel some of your burdens are off your shoulders. Feel like you need a little extra prayer? Reach out to one of our campus chaplains! 

Meet With A Campus Counselor

Take advantage of the counselors on campus—it’s free. Meeting with a counselor allows you to vent about the stress you are going through. A counselor can teach you great techniques to deal with your stress, like how to calm yourself before an exam or how to cope with feeling overwhelmed. A counselor can also be part of your support system. Meetings are confidential, so feel free to share anything. 

Reward Yourself

You need to recognize how hard you work to accomplish your many tasks. Reward yourself by going out to eat, taking a nap, or watching a show or movie. Feel proud and confident about the work you’ve done and the progress you are making to own each day. Continue making goals and reward yourself again and again.

Everyone deals with stress differently but one thing is clear, we all need a little help every once in a while and hopefully, these seven tips will come in handy! 

 

Tips for Managing Stress in College

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By Carissa Paw

All too often, students find themselves in stressful situations. Whether it’s from overloading on credits, taking on too many jobs at once, or having multiple deadlines to meet in one week, college can be stressful. These times are when it’s most important to remember putting too much stress on yourself isn’t beneficial to your studies. If you have found yourself in these types of situations, here are some tips to prevent and deal with stress.

Utilize the syllabus
From week one, check the syllabus given to you on the first day of class and write down important dates, such as tests and quizzes. By checking your syllabus on a weekly basis, you can to look at what’s due ahead of time and won’t be surprised by that one report worth 15 percent of your grade.

Prioritize your week
If you know you have two tests, three quizzes, and a reading report due in one week, make sure to divide the work. Try to study ahead of time instead of cramming the night before. As arduous as it sounds, try to get bigger projects done as soon as you can—trust me, you’ll thank yourself later. This will eliminate stress during the week, allowing yourself those additional blissful hours of sleep.

Take a minute to breathe
When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, take a minute to sit back and breathe. Use those sixty seconds to focus on breathing and not on the assignment due on Canvas at 11:59 p.m. After a minute, write out all the things you need to do. List them in the order they’re due and prioritize the things on top of the list first.

Find sources of help
As a class progresses, the material slowly builds upon the prior week. If you realize the material is too much to manage, don’t be afraid to talk to the professor. As a senior here at PUC, I’ve found the professors to be extremely helpful. Each professor is more than willing to meet with you and ensure you understand the material.

Take a break
Honestly, this step may seem ludicrous when facing multiple deadlines, but this tip has been the most beneficial to me. Removing yourself from a stressful situation for 5-10 minutes (or however long you prefer) can be extremely helpful in eliminating stress. You can take this break to listen to music, watch a YouTube video, or catch up on social media. By allowing yourself time to not be engrossed in studies, you can alleviate stress and improve your focus when going back to a certain task.