The right way to manage your stress

Mamuna Sarwar
Contributor
For students, university life almost always involves late nights studying for exams, writing papers worth 20 percent of your mark, and, perhaps, preparing for an important job interview. A lot of the time it overwhelms, and a lot of the time students become stressed.
Many people experience different levels of stress and the small quantities of stress can be good for us, as it encourages us to become more productive. When the stress becomes persistent, however, and occurs over a prolonged period of time, it becomes unhealthy. That’s when it is vital to assess the situation and address the source of your stress.
Stress is most commonly triggered by lofty academic demands, the struggle of financial burdens and dealing with personal issues. Such stress must be taken and treated seriously, no matter how manageable it may appear. If untreated, stress can lead to depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, serious health effects, and in some cases even suicide.
So how does one manage stress? The most effective coping methods are taking short breaks from work in order to recharge, taking a 30 to 45 minute nap, keeping your space organized, getting involved in campus activities and even meeting new people who share similar interests will take you out of your slump.
Incorporating regular exercise into daily routines is imperative, as is eating well-balanced meals and avoiding caffeine and excess sugars, which can aggravate anxiety, nervousness and insomnia.
Getting a sufficient amount of sleep will also reduce mood swings associated with stress. We all know that there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything we have set out to do, so it is important to manage your time properly by sitting down and thinking of ways to prioritize, and having a set list of goals for the week.
Not every goal will be achieved within the set time, and it’d likely achieving certain goals will take some time, but the best way to help yourself is by keeping a positive attitude in life and not giving up.
Stress by facts
6 in 10
Number of Canadians that report they deal with a lot of stress on the job.
$12 billion
The annual amount Canada loses in work time due to stress; the U.S. loses $300 billion.
females ages 15–24 and 35–44
The group most likely to report cases of stress.
excercise
Physically active Canadians report lower levels of stress.
Compiled by Victoria Alarcon