Most universities have counseling resources available for
students and these are great options for people who are having difficulty
managing stress. However, if your university is anything like mine, it can take
a few weeks to get in…
So, here are some ideas of activities that you can do to
reduce stress in the mean time:
Meditation: There are many types of meditation. Relaxation types of
meditation may help, but what I had in mind was mindfulness meditation. One
method is the RAIN acronym. “R- recognize what
is happening in the present moment, A-
allow your inner life to unfold just as it is, I – investigate you experiences (sensations, emotions and
thoughts), N – non-identify with
whatever is there.” Over the next few days, strive to recognize when
a strong emotion is present and simply allow it to be present. Much of our
stress and anxiety comes about from resisting the emotions we are experiencing.
In order to investigate, it may be helpful to use questions such as: What
sensations am I experiencing around this challenge? Where am I experiencing
tension? What is the quality of this tension? One important point to remember
with investigation is to be gentle with oneself… Lastly, non-identification
means that one's sense of self is not tied to the strong emotions one may be
experiencing. This allows for much greater flexibility and psychological
resilience.”
Johnstone,
D. (2012). How to Work with Stress and Challenging Emotions. Pelican News,
68(4), 4.
Yoga: There have been numerous studies on yoga’s ability to
reduce stress and although it is to be mentioned that it doesn’t appear to
replace other intervention. When used concurrently, yoga has many positive
effects on those who practice it, including a reduction in perceived stress and
anxiety and increased feelings of well-being. Best results are shown with
sessions 2-3 times per week and 60-90 minutes per session.
Jackson,
E. M. (2013). STRESS RELIEF: The Role of Exercise in Stress Management. ACSM's Health
& Fitness Journal, 17(3), 14-19
Exercise: Exercise of all kinds has a calming effect on the
body over time because you release endorphins and because your body is better
able to respond to stress. Aerobic exercise appears to have the greatest and most
notable affect on stress but studies on resistance training and mind-body
focused exercise also reveal benefits. Aerobic exercise broken into frequent
10-15 minute sessions throughout the day proved convenient and effective.
Jackson,
E. M. (2013). STRESS RELIEF: The Role of Exercise in Stress Management. ACSM's
Health & Fitness Journal, 17(3), 14-19
Drink tea: Now, even though I didn’t really find any studies
on tea drinking, I think many would agree that the things in your tea can have
a great affect on your body. I suggest a peppermint or chamomile tea and to sip
it slowly while doing nothing else for 10 minutes and see how you feel after.
It works for me at night and I always fall asleep more easily on the tea
drinking nights.
Well hopefully at least one of these gets you into a more
zen-like state and you can take a break from the stress and if not, definitely
think about seeking some professional help because left too long, stress can
have some long standing side effects.
