Stress Management Keys

At what age do students have the greatest stress? Older parents say middle school students have the most stress, having just entered adolescence. Stress management among students in universities is a hit-or-miss matter. Some universities schedule optional stress management classes, but students often lack the time to attend.

Stress Management Keys

Specific keys will open the door to better stress management among students in universities. Without them, stress management is limited for the students. 

1. Clear definitions: Effective stress management among students requires clear definitions of words such as "stressor," "stress," "eustress," and "distress." Students who do not understand clearly what stress is cannot be expected to succeed at stress management. They may be trying to manage stressors, thinking they are managing stress. The outcome may very well be increased stress rather than stress management.

Stress management among students in universities can begin only after they understand that the extra demands made upon them are stressors, not stress. They then must understand that their response to those demands constitutes stress.

 2. Action Plan: With a firm understanding of the definitions, students are ready to formulate a stress management action plan. Armed with the knowledge that stress is the response to stressors, students can learn to control that response. 

3. Stressor Identification: An important part of the stress management ambush is to learn to identify the enemy. Every university student has stressors. The key to stress management is to identify those demands as stressors.

4. Turning Distress into Eustress: Another key that helps unlock the doors to stress management is that of turning distress into eustress. Students often act as victims of their stressors. Stress management requires that they learn to turn a potentially negative response to stressors into a positive response.

Stress management among students in universities can be stripped of many programs, drugs, and therapies if these keys are used well.