Feeling stressed?! You are not alone, according to a recent survey, 47% of Marquette students report that stress and anxiety have been so severe in the last year, that it has affected their individual academic performance. (American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II Spring 2012)
Smaller amounts of stress can be helpful. For instance, it can help you develop and use skills needed to manage threatening situations or help you get many things done in a short amount of time. However, stress can be harmful when it is severe enough to make you feel overwhelmed and out of control or when it becomes chronic. At that point stress can interfere with being able to learn and retain information, making it a roadblock to academic success.
Stress can hit you when you expect it — before a test, after leaving home, or during conflict in a relationship. Stress can also build up gradually during a busy semester when papers, tests, and other commitments pile up on your calendar. While everyone experiences stress at times, a prolonged bout of it can affect your health and ability to cope with life. That’s why social support and self-care are important. They can help you see your problems in perspective… and the stressful feelings ease up.
Five Stress Busters
1. Sleep
2. Exercise
3. Healthy meals and snacks
4. Relaxation techniques
5. Self-care tips
Nothing helping?
- Sometimes stress and anxiety can take over, no matter what you do, making it difficult to function. At that point it is a good idea to enlist professional help.
- For on campus support make an appointment at the Counseling Center.
College Survival with Student Health 101
