Things That Are Causing You Stress – It’s impossible to avoid stress altogether. Stress is a natural response to difficult situations, resulting in physical, emotional, and intellectual processes that can help you to better adjust to new circumstances. But stress is also harmful if you experience it often and without relief.
Understanding what causes you stress and what you can do about it can help lower its effects on your entire body.
1. Not Having Enough Time
If you constantly run out of hours in the day to get everything done, your stress levels can increase. A sense of being overwhelmed can quickly trigger stress responses in the body, making dealing with all of those tasks you have to do even more difficult.
Time management is often the solution. Prioritize tasks so that you get the most important ones done first and then focus on less crucial tasks. Another important note to remember: do the less pleasant tasks first.
2. Not Taking a Break
When you have much to do, whether working, studying, or both, taking time off to relax seems impossible. Having something to do keeps your body and mind in constant tension, not allowing your system to get relief.
Setting aside five minutes to drink a cup of tea or coffee mindfully can do wonders for your body, allowing you to relax and recharge to continue working or studying.
3. Dealing With School Challenges
School is a huge stressor. Your teachers, parents, and even your own expectations can leave you battling a high level of tension that has the potential to begin affecting how you feel. It can even make you less receptive to new information, leading to more trouble learning.
School challenges are difficult to manage on your own. Turn to campus services for guidance and consider your course load carefully. Taking on too many activities and classes is a surefire way to trigger high-stress levels. Making connections with peers is another excellent way of reducing school stress.
4. Interpersonal Conflicts
All relationships are complex and have the potential to cause stress. This includes romantic as well as academic ones. You may find yourself arguing with others about issues that are not as important as they seem, which leads to rising cortisol levels in the body.
Decide to step away from unimportant conflicts. Try to de-escalate situations so that you can speak calmly with others about any issues. This is not always possible, but you can maintain lower stress levels by avoiding unnecessary arguments.
5. An Unhealthy Lifestyle
Going out drinking or partying every night can seem fun until you realize how much stress you’re putting your body through. Not getting enough sleep keeps your entire system in heightened tension.
When you add to that a poor diet and insufficient exercise, you have a recipe for unbalanced moods and biological processes. Try to eat healthy meals, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. This doesn’t mean you can’t have fun — you just want to do everything in moderation.
Managing Stress Levels: How to Help Yourself
One of the most important steps for yourself is to learn stress-management strategies. Some people choose activities like yoga, while others prefer breathing exercises or listening to a favorite song while allowing themselves to do nothing.
Balancing your education, work, and other activities will always be a challenge, but time-management skills help you make better use of your hours, helping to decrease stress levels.
Having people you can turn to for guidance or when you need to talk through a conflict can also be vital. The simple act of talking about an issue often lowers stress levels and makes it easier to find a solution.
Don’t Let Stress Affect Your Mental or Physical Health
Although getting rid of all stressors in your life is impossible, you can still avoid some forms of stress and the negative aspects of how you respond to it. As you begin the next school year, focus on minimizing conflicts while eating well and getting enough sleep to have a successful and less stressful year.
