Insomnia, headaches, rapid heartbeat, frequent colds, loss of desire to do things you once found enjoyable and loss of appetite — these all sound like symptoms of depression, but are actually physical symptoms that stress can cause on the body.
Being in college is hard enough with deadlines, lack of sleep and still trying to maintain a social life. Stress can build up as a result of this and can be a leading cause linked to a withdrawal in motivation to meet those deadlines.
Stress is linked to mood differences including sadness or depression, irritability or anger and feeling overwhelmed, according to mayoclinic.org.
Feeling stressed is often times pushed under the rug and looked at as an excuse or a way to seek attention, but stress can be a leading cause to the change of eating patterns, outbursts, alcohol use and social withdrawal, according to mayoclinic.org.
Having these symptoms can make it hard to perform everyday tasks like going to class, doing homework or even going to dinner.
Stress is dismissed with college students a lot of the times due to reasons like, “What do you have to be stressed about?”
Or the conversation leads to a competition of who has to do the most work before Friday rolls around, because it seems as if everything is collectively due.
Stress is valid for everyone to feel, and in a community such as Shippensburg University we have to note signs of it within ourselves and friends around us.
Ways to combat stress can be as easy as telling a really good joke.
Keeping a sense of humor can brighten your spirits and allow for a brief escape from your day-to-day life. Doing yoga or drinking tea can also be used to destress after a long day.
Picking up hobbies or talking to family and friends can easily get your mind off of your obligations temporarily and allow for a moment of recollection that can help you succeed in your tasks.
Stress cannot be avoided, as it is definitely everywhere. Understanding and knowing signs that you or your friend may be under a lot of stress and knowing how to combat it can help bring stress levels down, which can help students function better with day-to-day activities.
You can contact the counseling center on campus, located on the ground floor of Naugle Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (717) 477-1481.
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