Changing Your Response to Stress

It is no secret that college students today are facing more stress than ever. Between the pressure to do well in school, work, and maintaining relationships, students experience a number of circumstantial and emotional stressors each day. Anxiety disorders have become one of the most common health problems on college campuses. This heightened state of stress makes it hard to focus on tasks such as taking tests and completing projects. In fact, 30 percent of college students report that stress has negatively affected their academic work according to the 2015 National College Health Assessment.

It is almost impossible to change these outside stressors, but what students can do is change their response to their stressors and give less power to them. Kailen Krame, author of Put It In Perspective: A Teen’s Guide to Sanity, suggests five important methods and traits to help students change how they respond and deal with the stress in their lives.

The first method is acceptance, both self-acceptance and embracing each situation that occurs rather than resisting it and creating more stress. Once you accept the situation, you can respond to it with compassion and kindness. It is also important to remember that it is okay to take care of yourselfResilience will help you to let go of your problems instead of allowing them to interfere with your present or future. Finally, fearlessness will allow you to step out of your comfort zone and open yourself to new experiences.

Based on the book Put It In Perspective: A Teen’s Guide to Sanity by Kailen Krame