What it is, what to do about itby Ariel Gutierrez.
It’s midnight and that English paper is due tomorrow. You received the assignment a week ago, but put it off until the very last minute. Then you realized that you are going to have to pull an all-nighter to get it done. Now you’re a mess.
City College has over 9,000 students, and now, in the middle of crunch time, most are feeling the same way--stressed.
Jenev Caddell, a counselor at the Wellness and Counseling Center, says that stressed out students are filling her waiting area. "Students here at City College experience a lot of stress," confirms Cadell. "Many students come with issues that aren’t necessarily related to school but are affecting their school performance."
Cadell notes that many CCNY students have to work either full- or part-time to afford school. In a survey conducted by Phoenix Communications, a group of MCA students, 64 percent of CCNY respondents reported that they juggled school with jobs outside of the campus. And 65 percent said that that they felt overwhelmed by trying to keep everything balanced.
As the pressure builds, it's important to understand what stress is and how to cope with it in order to move beyond it. Experts define stress as a physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. And sometimes, this can be helpful; in some cases, feeling pressure may help you rise to the occasion when the opportunity presents itself.
You probably know what stress feels like, but just in case, the side effects of stress include: moodiness, feeling overwhelmed, either overeating or loss of appetite, either insomnia or sleeping too much, diminished sex drive, drug use, and a sense of loneliness and depression.
Greg Smith says stress is eating away at him. It makes him feel anxious all the time. "I thought the last semester was going to be easy, but it's not," says Smith, a 22-year-old senior. " I have so much work plus my senior thesis. I work before school and that takes away a lot of free time that I can really use. I have to cram in studying time. The worst is when I go home. I can't relax because tomorrow I have to do it all over again."
Stress doesn't have to take over your life. The American Psychological Association offers these tips for keeping it managed.
Learn to mediate. If you're too hyped up to be "zen," start with deep breathing exercises. Close your eyes and breathe in deeply through your nose and out through your mouth three times slowly. This calming process really works.
Get some exercise. Take a break and go to the gym for a work out. Or, easier, go for a long, brisk walk.
Eat the right food. Taking good care of yourself by eating lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains makes a difference. Cut down on fried and processed foods and too many sweets. Substitute water for one of those cups of coffee.
Get enough sleep. It's hard when you're anxious, but do your best to get 6 to 8 hours.
Talk to close friends and relatives. Go ahead and vent to someone you trust.
For more ways to deal with stress, on Wednesday May 2, Phoenix Communications will hold a, the Stress Buddy Mixer, from 12 to 2 PM in NAC room 1/211. Follow Phoenix Communications on twitter, @Be A Buddy, where people can read inspirational quotes from inspiring people, and on the Facebook page, Stress Buddy Mixer.
This article is one of a series on stress, written by students in the Spring 2012 Ad/PR workshop.
