Self-Care: Handling Daily Stress 
Many students experience stress at different times during the year due to academic pressures, the anticipation of holidays, the seasonal changes, worries about personal, familial, or national safety, and for other important reasons.
While everyone copes with stress differently, there are some common physical and emotional responses that can be anticipated. For example, you may feel generally fatigued and have difficulty concentrating, sleeping, and eating normally. Many people may find themselves crying or getting angry more easily when under stress. In fact, you may direct irritation or aggression at people or things that usually would not bother you. Stressful times require us to be easier on ourselves when we may behave differently than we prefer. In fact, it is important to be extra caring of ourselves at this time. Some effective ways of coping are:
Physical: Normalizing Disrupted Patterns
Sleep regular hours
To facilitate sleeping:
- drink warm milk before bed
- avoid caffeine after 3 PM and alcohol before bed
- eat something light before bed
- get up at a regular time no matter how well you have slept, however, if you need a nap, take one, but try to stay active during the day
- read or listen to something relaxing before bed (this means no strenuous exercise!)
Eat a balanced diet at regular intervals
- even if you are not hungry, eat a little at each mealtime
Exercise moderately each day
- A brisk walk will do. Stress prepares people physically to fight or flee. Regular exercise discharges this energy more productively when fighting or running will not solve the problem. Without such release, the energy may be turned inward creating fatigue or turned outward creating conflicts in your relationships.
Relax tense muscles
- Try yoga, Tai Chi, back and foot massages, etc.
- Stretch often
- Take a deep breath
If you would like more specific information on sleep, nutrition, and exercise, contact Health Services (862-1530). Seek medical attention if stress is making an existing medical condition worse or you have significant difficulty with eating or sleeping.
Emotional/Spiritual: Managing Our Feelings and Dilemmas
Recognize what you can and cannot control. We may not have much control over how many exams or papers we must complete to pass a class, but we can control many things in our daily lives. Ways to gain control over your life are:
- Create a schedule of study and recreation and stick to it
- Talk about your feelings, but avoid talking solely with persons who are only negative and pessimistic
- Reward yourself - with a flower, a book, etc.
- Reach out to family and friends - share how you truly feel and ask for time to be listened to and reassured
- Talk to and ask for guidance from Resident Hall Directors, Residence Assistants, coaches, professors, and other possible sources of support (e.g., seek out positive people!)
- Express your opinions but avoid heated arguments
- Practice saying "no" (e.g., setting healthy limits and asserting yourself) and asking for what you need
- Pray or meditate
- Recognize that thoughtful people of goodwill may come to very different conclusions from yours
- Expect to be respected
- Express yourself creatively (singing, dancing, cooking)
- Do something fun; laughing at serious times is OK
- Escape in healthy ways (video games, movies, hikes, rather than overeating or abusing drugs or alcohol)
- Count to 10
- Seek out religious or spiritual communities
- Love yourself
- Seek support groups or counselors if you continue to feel distressed
Feeling Good through Helping Others: What Can You Do?
You have unique gifts, special interests, and sharing yourself by helping others may assist you in coping with stress. Depending on your political or social stance, you may choose to participate in campus organizations, letter writing, and organizing idea exchanges on campus. You may choose to help others through volunteering for a community service agency or reading books on tape for the local library. Remember that involvement may be time consuming, upsetting, and tiring as well as rewarding. Be sure to care for yourself by keeping balance in your life.
The Counseling Center offers free confidential counseling for all students. Call 862-2090 if you are interested in receiving individual and/or group counseling. We are located in Schofield House on Garrison Avenue.
* Adapted from a publication by Student Couseling Service, Iowa State University