A representative from the Student Counseling Center spoke with students about their experiences coping with stress in a stress management workshop sponsored by the Student Health and Counseling Services on March 2.
Britney Bryson, a health and wellness counselor on campus, presented students with tips on identifying reacting to and coping with sources of stress.
"Stress can be your drive, your determination, your fuel to achieve a goal you have for yourself," Bryson said. "Now, if it gets to a point where there is too much stress, it does the complete opposite to our goals."
Bryson said that reactions to stress could linger over from one aspect of life to another.
"The thing about stress and anxiety is they don't necessarily have to have a trigger," Bryson said. "You can have symptoms even if you're not experiencing a stressor right now."
Bryson suggested the audience start with basic stress management techniques such as exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, time management, hobbies and sleep.
"There is no cheat sheet about getting around stress, so we try to emphasize the basics," Bryson said.
Bryson also urged the audience to use breathing routines, meditation and prayer to improve their internal well-being.
"There's a lot of focus on the external aspects of stress, but when it comes to caring for your mind, that takes a different type of work," Bryson said. "With things like meditation, you can take a mental rest and work on being still in your mind."
Bryson said that stress leads to a disruption in brain activity, and learning to manage stress changes the brain's reaction to the things that cause stress.
"As your stress plan gets better, you'll eventually notice that stress won't affect you the way it used to," Bryson said.
Bryson completed the workshop by handing out pamphlets about the Student Counseling Center and the services offered on campus. She said with the services, students can learn how to rest outside of sleep.
"People need to understand that taking a mental rest at different points throughout the day can help increase your productivity," Bryson said. "Resting doesn't have to take up a big chunk of your day."
Mizgin Deli, a biology major, said that she often struggles with her stress, and she typically relies on exercise as an outlet.
"Stress is my biggest problem right now, and I think being healthy is making me feel better," Deli said. "I'm still looking for ways to improve on how I cope with it."
Lobar Obidjonova, a biology major, said she uses positive thinking to cope with stress, but she often has trouble seeking out help when she's overwhelmed by it.
"There are times when I feel like talking, and then I won't be social at all," Obidjonova said. "I go back and forth a lot when I'm stressed."
Obidjonova also said she makes time for her hobbies through her class schedule.
"I took classes around my hobbies so I could take time to enjoy them, but I'm not enjoying them as much because I have to do them."
Victoria Jones, an Outreach Coordinator for the Student Counseling Center, said that the workshops are largely discussion-based so students can freely interact with the presenter.
"We ask a lot of questions about what stresses people out and how. Then, we practice different ways on how to cope," Jones said.
Jones said the counseling center wants to encourage students to ask for help with stress management and utilize the resources available to them.
"We want them to know that stress is normal, but what's not normal is when students get distressed," Jones said. "That's when we want to have coping skills to get through it."
Jones said that students should regularly attend stress workshops to maintain stress management.
"Managing stress is an ongoing process, and it's difficult to work through without the right tools," Jones said.
