Midterms are finally over for me, and I am wiped out. All I've wanted to do lately is curl up in a ball and sleep for hours and hours on end. Plus, I haven't been home in a few months; my parents didn't come for Family Weekend and I am feeling the overwhelming urge to get as far away from college as possible.
This is what stress does to me. It makes me homesick, tired and antsy. I feel like the mountain of work I still have is never going to get done, and yet I don't make any effort to actually get it done.
And all of this makes me extremely frustrated. Stress affects all of us in different ways, and we all deal with it differently. I overheard a girl the other day complaining about how stressed she was, and all she wanted to do was get drunk. That's one way to deal with it.
While we're in school, the stress never really goes away. We're constantly working on deadlines, pressured by professors and peers to work hard, study for tests, write papers and, on top of all that, we have to fit time in for friends and a social life while functioning on insufficient amounts of sleep.
Stress affects our entire bodies. It's not just about getting that paper done and feeling better. When you feel stressed, your body goes into an "emergency-action" mode. The body sends chemicals to the brain, which then releases stress hormones into the body. Heart rate increases, the digestive system slows down and blood flow increases.
Most of the symptoms of stress can be kept in check. When we see that we have a lot on our plates, some time management and a few nights at the library can get us back on track.
For others, it's not so easy. Abusive behaviors can often result from stress. Drinking, drugs, overexercising, not eating or sleeping and even committing suicide are all risks associated with college students dealing with stress.
Many students don't associate drinking as a symptom of stress, but it is a coping mechanism, and our bodies respond and provide a release as a result. We're not talking about an occasional beer, either: 31 percent of college students regularly abuse alcohol as a way to reduce stress, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's college drinking prevention Web site. Alcohol abuse leads to a whole other laundry list of issues, which will probably lead to more stress in your life. There are better ways to cope.
You need to be able to recognize your own symptoms of stress in order to deal with them. If you suddenly feel like you are never going to get your work done, even after staying up for two days straight, it's time to get some help.
Ask your professors and friends for assistance. Have them dig you out of your room for a few hours to see a movie or grab some dinner.
Take some time for yourself. Go to the gym and pound it out on the treadmill. Go shopping and buy some new music, or make a nice dinner for some of your friends.
Finally, realize that you're not alone. Everyone is in the same boat and understands, so talk about how you're feeling and don't let it go too far. If you don't feel better, go to the Counseling Center and talk to someone there.
Stress shouldn't ruin your body and your mind, and it shouldn't ruin your life. Take a breath and know it will all get done and there are ways to help.
