3 ADAPTABLE strategies FOR RELIEVING PRESSURE

By Logan Phillips

Edited

What help is offered by Wright State?

To help students get needed exercise, Lake Campus students get a free membership to the Auglaize Mercer Counties YMCA right next to campus. This is a great way for students to have easy access to exercise equipment and facilities. If you do not live on campus, this membership gets you access to all twelve YMCA locations of greater Dayton. You just need to visit the YMCA by Lake Campus once to get your membership; then, you can use it at any of these locations. Lake Campus also has great walking paths all over campus that are mapped with distance calculations. All these resources can be found at the Lake Campus Health and Wellness services page here: https://lake.wright.edu/ campus-life/health-and-wellness.

ollege can be very stressful. As the first time most people have been on their own trying to balance school, friends, and possibly a job, college can be very difficult. However, there are ways to calm your mind and help manage this stress. Among those methods are exercise, sleep, and mindfulness. These may seem cliché or simple, but they can help and are sometimes easy to forget about when things get tough.

EXercISE

Simple exercise on a regular basis can help regulate your body and calm your mind. A study conducted by Emma Childs and Harriet de Wit shows that though exercise may not have a direct effect on reaction to stressors, it does seem to slightly increase mood after stress compared to those who do not exercise. It may be difficult to find time in a school routine to exercise daily; however, as there seems to be no significant change in results based on how often the exercise is, even one exercise session a week could help.

Sleep

We’ve all been there; a deadline is coming up, and you need to pull an all-nighter last minute to finish in time. This lack of sleep, however, can have a negative effect on your ability to perform well in an academic setting. In one report by the Nation Institutes of Health, more than 70 percent of students reported getting less than 8 hours of sleep a day, and more than 80 percent reported lack of sleep negatively affecting their academics. Lack of sleep can be caused by stress, which in turn creates more stress as you fall behind academically. There are methods that can help you get better and more sleep, however. One such method is sleeping at a regular time each day. If you go to sleep at the same time every day, your body begins to fall into this routine, and you may find yourself more tired and ready for sleep at this time. Another way to help get better and more sleep is to limit time in your bed other than sleep. It is tempting to lay in bed to study or just relax throughout the day; however, this can make it harder to fall asleep at night as your bed is no longer a place solely for sleep. If you limit lying in bed just to when it’s time to sleep, it will help you associate your bed with sleep and make you feel more ready for bed when you lie down.

What help is offered by Wright State?

A few resources for helping students relax and sleep can be found on the counseling wellness and advocacy page here: https://www.wright.edu/student-affairs/counseling-wellnessand-advocacy/counseling-and-wellness/self-help-apps. These include apps for breath couching, sleep sounds, and an app to analyze your sleep cycles so you can see the quality of your sleep and learn how to help make it better. .

Mindfulness

Mindfulness, or meditation, can help relieve stress and calm your brain. Just taking a few minutes to calm down, observe your body and surroundings, and ground yourself away from your stressors can help relieve stress tremendously. There are many techniques and styles of mindfulness, each with its own focuses and benefits. Some mindfulness techniques can help with a wandering mind; others can help you fall asleep. As well as reducing stress, mindfulness can also help relieve anxiety and depression symptoms.

What help is offered by Wright State?

Wright State has a few mindfulness resources that can be found at on the counseling wellness and advocacy page here: https://www.wright.edu/student-affairs/counseling-wellnessand-advocacy/counseling-and-wellness/self-help-apps. These include many different mindfulness apps with different styles and focuses.

Other ways Wright State can help with Stress.

Wright State Lake Campus offers counseling services for free to students. Students get 6 sessions per semester with the counselor, Kimberly Altstaetter. During an interview with Kimberly, she estimated that at least 75% of students seeking her services are struggling with stress and anxiety, so it is not uncommon. She also shared with me the methods of stress management that she recommends. She recommended working on time management and breaking tasks down. She also said to focus on the present to avoid getting overwhelmed by thinking too far ahead. Finally, she stressed the importance of self-care, taking time for yourself, and resting instead of working constantly. When asked what she recommends as the first steps toward stress management, Kimberly said to start by reaching out to your support network, whether that be family, friends, etc., or to reach out to professors and counseling if needed. “it’s finding a trusted person that they feel like has their back and would listen to them.” Kimberly said. She is available from 1:30—4:30 p.m. on Mondays and 9 a.m.—12 p.m. on Tuesdays in 187 Andrews Hall. Appointments can be made with her by emailing kimberly.altstaetter@ wright.edu or calling 419-586-0398, or by visiting her office during the hours listed above. If you do visit her office outside of those hours, you can also leave your contact info in a box provided nearby, and she will get in touch with you. The Wright State main campus also has many online resources for self-help and information at https://www.wright.edu/studentaffairs/counseling-wellness-and-advocacy/counseling-andwellness.

If you or someone you know is having a mental emergency, Wright State offers a 24/7 Raider Cares line you can reach by calling 937-775-4567. If you are ever struggling with stress or other mental health issues, Wright State and its community are here to help and committed to helping you succeed.