In 2017, NYU conducted a survey on university stress, where an astonishing 55% of students said they were most stressed in an academic setting.
In the same study, over half of the surveyed students felt so stressed that it negatively impacted their social lives on more than one occasion. This stress has also led to increased headaches, fatigue, anxiety, and even depression in students.
Constant stress negatively influences our health, and many students don’t realize the long-lasting impact university stress has on their bodies. That’s why we’re here to help students develop the healthy coping strategies necessary to deal with stress that comes along with everyday life in University.
What is the Science behind Stress?
Any stressful activities such as studying, taking an exam or giving a presentation can immediately create a stress-response in our bodies. When this happens, we have a sublimely designed endocrine system, set to release the perfect balance of hormones in response.
This ‘fight or flight’ response causes our muscles to tense up, hastens our breathing, and directs all blood flow to our brain and muscles, so we can react quickly. It even diverts blood away from other essential organs like our digestive tract so that our ‘rest and digest’ processes are postponed until after the threat has ended.
An area in the brain called the hypothalamus alerts our sympathetic nervous system and sends signals via this nervous system to a place in our body called the adrenal glands. These glands release the hormone adrenaline (epinephrine) into our blood to keep us alert.
Once in our blood, adrenaline increases heart rate, raising our blood pressure and pulse. It also causes little pathways in our lungs to open up, so we can more efficiently intake oxygen. This send more O2 to our brain, letting us think faster as our senses become heightened.
Adrenaline also causes a large amount of glucose to release into our bloodstream, giving us plenty of energy for whatever impending danger we face. As our bodies adjust to this stressor for longer periods of time another hormone, cortisol (the stress hormone), is released to keep us on high alert.
What Impact does Stress Have on the Body?
While our body is beautifully orchestrated to help us fight danger, it’s not optimized to manage constant stress. The academic pressure students face at University can easily turn into chronic stress if it’s not dealt with properly.
Chronic stress has a terrible impact on all our bodily systems. It leads to awful diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes. Stress also takes a toll on our mental health and can become debilitating to a university student.
When the body releases adrenaline often, it actually damages the arteries and vessels in your body. Frequent cortisol release also leads to greater fatty plaque deposits in the vessels of your heart. Together, these make it harder for your heart to pump blood through its vessels and, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, and even stroke.
Cortisol dumping into our system also makes us very hungry and can lead to overeating and obesity. With obesity also comes the risk of developing diabetes, which can follow a person long after graduating university.
So, you may be asking yourself, ‘how do I keep this from happening to me?’ Our solution is to begin these few interventions early before stress becomes a chronic part of your life during or even after graduation.
What are Some Healthy Coping Strategies for Stress?
Often, university students don’t know how to safely handle academic stress and turn towards unhealthier coping methods. These include activities like binge drinking, promiscuity, and even illicit drug use.
While those activities can help us feel better in the short-term, they actually have a rebound effect, heightening our stress later on.
Below are some safe, healthy, and effective strategies that any university student can use to help combat their daily stress.
1. Develop a Support System
One of the most important ways to begin lowering stress is to have a support system in place. This should be a group of friends you feel comfortable sharing some of your stresses with, and who will keep you from engaging in unhealthier coping styles.
It’s also important to not forget about utilizing your family members, and any counseling services provided by your university. These services are usually free or at a low cost and are meant to help you safely handle any problems you’re experiencing at university.
2. Discover New Methods to De-stress
Having a healthy outlet for your stress can be a life-saver and will help you down the road. For many students, it can be as simple as going on a walk outdoors, seeing a movie with friends, or finding a quiet place to read.
A healthy outlet is something that you can turn towards when you’re feeling low and consistently brightens you day.
3. Invest Time in Relaxation Strategies
In a study by Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Herbert Benson reported that patients who regularly practiced relaxation techniques had a drastic improvement to their heart health. Nearly half of these patients stopped taking their blood pressure medications because of the efficacy of these techniques, such as deep breathing and exercises like Yoga or Tai chi.
Other strategies for relaxation can be finding a word or phrase that relaxes you and mentally repeating it in times of stress.
Also try finding a tranquil place and picture a peaceful mental image when you feel yourself getting worked up.
These may seem silly at first, but many students find that once they gave them a chance, it provided immense relief from stress.
4. Incorporate Physical Activity into Your Daily Routine
Another effective way to work on your stress is to develop a fitness routine that you can do whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed. Pick something you could find yourself doing habitually and be realistic.
If you’re not interested in running, running shouldn’t be your outlet for stress. However, any type of exercise that can temporarily get your heart rate up and improve your cardiovascular health will also decrease stress.
Cardio is a great way to release a ‘feel good hormone’ called endorphins; which improves mood and causes a natural feeling of relaxation. Think of it this way, the stronger your heart is, the better you’ll be able to handle the stress in your life.
According to a study in the medical journal Depression and Anxiety, anxiety is on the rise in university students, with three out of every four students reporting stressful life events in the past year. University will inevitably be stressful. So, it’s still very important to employ the healthy coping strategies we suggest so that university stress doesn’t overwhelm you.
