As students deal with their classes, making friends, being away from their families and fearing not making the most out of their college years, stress is almost unavoidable.
Despite this, there are many ways for students to combat that stress and even use it to improve their daily lives, according to Michael Starkey, the assistant director of counseling services at the University of Rhode Island.
College students don’t just have one primary factor that contributes to their stress, said Starkey. It is an accumulation of multiple factors that overwhelms their nervous system and creates a stressful environment.
However, there are easy ways to combat these stressors, Starkey said. One solution to combating stress before an exam or an overwhelming situation is to try deep breathing. The long out-breath in the exercise is the key to help slow down our nervous system.
Exercise is another great way to get rid of stress, Starkey said. Sometimes going on a quick walk or doing a quick set of exercises can help eliminate the built-up energy that comes from being stressed.
Thinking about your stress differently is another way to manage it, according to Starkey. By listening to the stress and trying to understand what it is telling you, students can better understand why they are feeling stressed.
For instance, if a student were feeling anxious before an exam, that is an indicator that their body knows the test is important to them and they should take it seriously.
URI’s counseling center also has resources for students to utilize to help combat stress. The center offers individual counseling sessions, consultations and group therapy to students. The University is also associated with Telus Health, an app that provides students with mental health care.
“It’s one of the things that has been one of the best things to happen to our center,” Starkey said.
The app enables students to have access to 24/7 mental health care for free. Students can chat with a counselor or other students, or read articles that the app provides.
To combat his stress, Starkey tries to implement the five pillars of well-being into his daily life. These pillars are positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement.
Some of the ways Starkey incorporates this acronym into his life are by exercising every day, engaging in his work, and connecting with people he cares about.
Spending time with people you care about or talking to them is another great way to deal with stress.
“So when we’re doing things and we’re connecting with other people on a regular basis in a positive way and we’re doing things with other people, that’s going to be the thing that’s probably, in my experience, the best way to buffer against stress,” Starkey said.
While there are a lot of ways to deal with stress and management, that does not necessarily mean that every solution will work for everyone, according to Starkey. When it comes to managing stress, it is important to do what works best for you.
What works for one person might not be the best solution for another. While your friend might enjoy exercising to relieve stress, for you, it might be better to do deep breathing and grounding exercises.
Additionally, it is important to have a toolkit of solutions that works for you, Starkey said. This way, if you are about to take a test and don’t have the opportunity to go on a walk or listen to music to help manage your stress, you can try another solution that works well for you.
It is important to try new solutions and have someone to talk to when you are feeling overwhelmed, Starkey said. Whether it be a friend, professor or counselor, the URI community has many ways for students to get assistance in managing their stress.
To learn more about the counseling services URI has and learn more about Telus Health, visit URI’s counseling center’s website at web.uri.edu/counseling/ .
For resources directly related to stress, visit the counseling center’s page on anxiety at web.uri.edu/counseling/anxiety/ .