“Oh man, I worked really hard but I don’t know why my result wasn’t up to mark”. Ali talked to Anum (her batch mate) who scored very good in result.
Anum said “it’s ok Ali it’s not even that bad. You are taking it on your nerves. Just relax or it can effect your health”.
“No Anum” Ali said “you don’t know my mother was expecting much better result this time and I tried my best too” .
“I am feeling like dying.I don’t want to live anymore, I can’t face my relatives.
What will they say when they come to know about my result. It’s so embarrassing”.
Does taking this much of stress can give any benefit to Ali or his family????
Does it really makes it scores better???
No,not really… than how can one cope with all the stress this environment creating in someone’s life linked to studies…
Let’s discuss few things how this stress effects our body and why this stress is so bad for us.
EFFECT OF STRESS ON OUR BODY;
1) Stress can trigger and intensify tension type headaches.
2) Chronic stress can wear you down emotionally and lead to depression.
3) stress can cause insomnia, heart burn, weakened immune system, high blood sugars, risk of heart attack, high blood pressure and even backache.
But the question is how to prevent ourselves from these stressors and their effects, I am emphasizing on academic stress right now.
Here are few habits that will help you manage and overcome the causes and effects of academic stress…
Incorporate more anticipation into your life.
Always have something to look forward to. Some enjoyable events in your life and that does not have to be big.It can be to watch a movie, have coffee with a friend, or go for a walk somewhere new.
No matter what you are going through, make sure you book something enjoyable into your schedule once or twice a week. This will give you a sense of anticipation throughout the week and help you stave off academic stress.
Do regular exercise.
Advice on getting more exercise always sounds like a broken record.
A Harvard study showed that a regular exercise routine has been shown to decrease symptoms of mild to moderate depression. If you have trouble finding the motivation on your own, find an exercise buddy who will help you step away from the computer and do something active outside.
Surround yourself with supportive people.
The conversations with colleagues over lunch or at coffee are usually filled with complaints and gossip. This negativity stays with you when you leave for home.
Over time, all of your thoughts become so negative that you even get annoyed when someone attempts to positively rationalize your situation. The only way to prevent this is to remove yourself from negative people in graduate school. Instead, surround yourself with positive people.
Stop comparing yourself with others.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of measuring your success with the success of others. The problem is that comparing yourself to others is subjective.
You don’t have the same background as someone else. You don’t have the the same resources or the same personal situation. It’s foolish to only value your accomplishments based on how your accomplishments stack up to others.
Instead of comparing yourself to others, compare yourself to your past self.
How much more do you know now than a year ago?
Learn to celebrate your growth.
Learn to celebrate your successes and the successes of your colleagues, no matter how small.
This will lead to more success and a more positive and productive mindset.
Avoid isolation.
Academia is not an ivory tower, it’s an isolation chamber. This isolation is a breeding ground for negative, self-limiting beliefs. If you’re not careful, these beliefs will fester and overcome you. It’s easy to feel helpless when you’re alone. At the same time, feeling helpless makes you want to be alone. It’s a vicious cycle that leads to more and more stress and eventually depression. No matter how much you feel like isolating yourself, don’t.
It’s the worst thing you can do.
Instead of closing off your lines of communication, open them up. Talk to everyone about what you’re going through. Write about it. Share it.
You’ll be surprised by how many other people are going through the same thing.
Put first things first.
It’s very important in your life to prioritize your schedule. It’s important to ensure you complete study task and meet critical deadlines. But it’s equally important to realize that you’ll never be finished.
These are just few techniques to help someone cope with academic stressors .I hope it help someone to prevent from devastating effect on life and have healthy life ahead.
Written By : Dr. Zaib Masood
Consultant Psychiatrist.
