What is stress?

 

Stress is something that many university students are familiar with. It occurs when the demands on us exceed our ability to cope. Stress can be caused by many things – the most obvious for university students are examinations and assignment deadlines, work, problems with friendships and relationships, financial problems, perfectionism and balancing studying and life. However, positive events such as a new relationship, and starting a new university year can also cause stress. 

 

What are the signs of stress?

 

We all experience stress differently in different situations. Sometimes you might be able to tell right away when you're feeling under stress, but other times you might keep going without recognising the signs. Stress can affect you both emotionally and physically, and it can affect the way you behave.

My head is tight and all my thoughts are whizzing round in different directions and I can't catch them.

 

How you might feel

 

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• irritable, aggressive, impatient or wound up

• over-burdened

• anxious, nervous or afraid

• like your thoughts are racing and you can't switch off

• unable to enjoy yourself

• depressed                                                  

• uninterested in life

• like you've lost your sense of humour

• a sense of dread

• worried about your health

• neglected or lonely.

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Some people who experience severe stress can sometimes have suicidal feelings. (See our pages on how to cope with suicidal feelings for more information.)

 

How you might behave

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• finding it hard to make decisions

• constantly worrying

• avoiding situations that are troubling you

• snapping at people

• biting your nails

• picking at your skin

• unable to concentrate

• eating too much or too little

• smoking or drinking alcohol more than usual

• restless, like you can't sit still

• being tearful or crying.

 

How you might be physically affected

 

• shallow breathing or hyperventilating 

• you might have a panic attack

• muscle tension

• blurred eyesight or sore eyes

• problems getting to sleep, staying asleep or having nightmares

• sexual problems, such as losing interest in sex or being unable to enjoy sex

• tired all the time

• grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw

• headaches

• chest pains

• high blood pressure

• indigestion or heartburn

• constipation or diarrhea

• feeling sick, dizzy or fainting.

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It feels like] the world is closing in on me, I can't breathe and I'm running out of time.

 

We can experience stress in various ways:

• Thoughts: Our thoughts can become distorted so that we blow things out of proportion and think that the worst thing will happen. We can also worry excessively. 

• Feelings: We can feel irritated, tense, frustrated, and nervous. 

• Behaviours: We can become short with others, cry, or take our frustrations out on things or other people. Our appetite and sleep may be disturbed. We can also start to avoid situations that cause us stress, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs to cope. 

• Physical: Muscle tension, headaches, stomach problems, restlessness, increased heart rate, and increased breathing rate.

 

Coping with stress 

 

We all cope with stress in different ways depending on our strategies, and also on the situation. The two main approaches are to change the situation itself, or to change your reaction to it.

Changing the situation itself requires problem solving, and can draw on other skills such as learning to communicate effectively with others (if conflict with others is the source of stress), time management, budgeting (if financial problems are the cause of stress), and developing healthier study habits.

Managing your reaction to the situation in order to reduce stress can include relaxation (to decrease your stress reaction), engaging in physical activity (to burn up stress hormones), and modify any negative self talk that may escalate your stress.​

 

Stress is a process, not a diagnosis. We experience stress when there is an imbalance between the demands being made on us and our resources to cope with those demands. The level and extent of stress a person may feel depends a great deal on their attitude to a particular situation. An event that may be extremely stressful for one person can be a mere hiccup in another person’s life.

You may feel under pressure to do something and fear you may fail. The more important the outcome, the more stressed you feel. You can feel stressed by external situations (too much work, children misbehaving) and by internal triggers (the way you think about external situations).

Stress is not always a bad thing. Some people thrive on stress and even need it to get things done. When the term ‘stress’ is used in a clinical sense, it refers to a situation that causes discomfort and distress for a person and can lead to other mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

Stress may also contribute to physical illness such as cardiovascular disease. When stress turns into a serious illness, it is important to get professional help as soon as possible. Untreated anxiety disorders can lead to serious depression.

 

Effects of stress

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      Stress affects us in many ways, including:

• Emotionally – anxiety, depression, tension, anger

• The way we think – poor concentration, forgetfulness, indecisiveness, apathy, hopelessness

• Behaviourally – increased drinking and smoking, insomnia, accident proneness, weight problems, obsessive-compulsive behaviour, nervousness, gambling.

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Your response to stress

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Your attitude, personality and approach to life will influence how you respond to stress. Factors that play a part include:

• How you think about a problem

• How anxious you feel generally

• How severely the problem affects you

• Whether you have experienced anything like this before

• Whether you can control what is happening

• How long the event affects you

• How important the outcome is to you

• The different ways a person copes with difficult situations

• Your life experiences and life history

• Your self-esteem

• Whether you have people around who can provide support.

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Stress as a health problem

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As a health problem, stress occurs when a person feels that the demands made on them exceed their ability to cope. Factors contributing to a person feeling stressed might include:

• Environment (work, home, school)

• Lifestyle

• Emotional and personal problems.

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Stress and physical illness

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When we feel under stress, our body kicks into high gear to deal with the threat. Our heartbeat, breathing rate and blood pressure all go up. The longer we feel stressed, the greater the demand on our body.

The more often we are placed under stress, the more often we have to use energy to cope. There is growing evidence that stress may contribute to physical illness such as cardiovascular disease (although this link remains controversial and research is ongoing), high blood pressure, proneness to infection and chronic fatigue.

Whatever the cause, physical diseases need appropriate medical management before any attempt is made at stress management. Discuss with your doctor how stress management may be used to support treatment of your physical symptoms.

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Stress and anxiety

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Untreated stress can turn into a mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression.

Almost everyone experiences some anxiety. This is normal. However, an anxiety disorder is different from everyday anxiety – it is more severe, can persist and may interfere with a person’s daily life. 

Common anxiety disorders include:

• Panic disorder

• Specific phobias – such as fear of flying or of spiders

• Agoraphobia – fear of public places or of being away from home

• Social anxiety disorder – fear of the scrutiny and judgement of others

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – following a real and very distressing event such as a disaster, accident, war, torture, violent death or assault.

Other, less common, anxiety disorders include:

• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

• Acute stress disorder

• Generalised anxiety disorder – the person is constantly worried, often about irrational things, and cannot be reassured.

Anxiety is a very treatable condition. There are many different psychological and medication options. Treatments need to be individually decided on and regularly reviewed to make sure they are effective and to minimise side effects of medications. Separately and in combination, psychotherapy and medication therapy generally produce good results.

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Management of stress

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The old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ is certainly true for stress management. It will help if you:

• Exercise regularly – regular exercise is a great way to manage stress. You should do some form of exercise that causes you to feel puffed afterwards – a leisurely stroll to the bus stop is not enough! Have at least 20 minutes of exercise three times a week

• Avoid conflict – avoid situations that make you feel stressed such as unnecessary arguments and conflict (although ignoring a problem is not always the best way to reduce stress). Assertiveness is fine but becoming distressed is not

• Relax – give yourself some time to relax each day and try to spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself

• Eat well – a nutritious diet is important. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid sweet and fatty foods

• Sleep – a good sleep routine is essential. If you have difficulty falling asleep, do something calm and relaxing before you go to bed like listening to music or reading

• Enjoy your life – it’s important to make time to have some fun and to get a balance in your life.

To deal with stress more effectively, it helps to investigate your stresses and how you react to them. Try to:

• Understand what situations make you feel stressed

• Understand what situations you can and can’t control

• Prepare for stressful events in advance, by thinking about the future

• Keep yourself healthy with good nutrition, exercise and regular relaxation

• Try to do happy things every day.

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Getting help for stress

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You should see your doctor or community health centre if:

• You feel stressed often

• Particular things stress you and you feel they are beyond your control

• You feel your reactions to stress are extreme or worry you

• You feel anxious or depressed about stress.

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Things to remember

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• Stress is when you feel under pressure to do something and think you will fail.

• A balanced lifestyle and coping strategies can help you manage stress.

• Issues that cause stress cannot always be resolved but changing your expectations of a problem may help.

• Untreated stress can lead to serious illness.

• It’s important to get help if you feel you can’t cope.

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Useful links

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Coping with Stress

Free online course provided by This Way Up - a non for profit initiative at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney that provides online cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) courses for people suffering from anxiety and depression. The course is designed to help people who are experiencing acute or chronic stress, related to work, study, relationships, or caring for a family member.

Mind Tools

This link has useful tips on stress management.

Tips for stress management

Better Health Channel

At this website you can find information on managing stress.

Reach Out!

This website is dedicated to young people and provides information on stress and how to manage it. You can also find information on relaxation and time management at this website.

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