Reducing Stress

A month ago or so my friend Megan Francis wrote about dealing with stress as a Catholic, and seeing as it's midterms week, i thought it would be apt to share her thoughts with the world.

People often perceive college solely as this carefree zone where stress and anxiety are presumably non-existent. But any college student will tell you: it is stressful! The fact that we are only in class for two and a half hours a day creates this illusion of “free time” which can be spent doing an array of tempting activities. Meanwhile that term paper sits patiently on your desk waiting to be written while the dead line steadily approaches. Managing time is probably the hardest skill a college student can master, and it’s the one you don’t spend a year learning about in high school. Feeling like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all your work and to still be able to take advantage of your “free time” ,is the ultimate precursor to stress.

So what should you do when you are feeling so overwhelmed you have made too many post-its to keep track of and the weekend seems like it will never come?

Most psychologists and stress reducing experts recommend writing, running/exercising, and listening to music as ways to manage stress. While I am a big fan of all three, there might be an even healthier, simpler alternative: talking.

Talking with relatives and friends about your stressors can be very therapeutic. When you are extremely stressed though, I recommend you do the following: s l o w d o w n. Take a walk or just let yourself be truly embraced in the here and now. Concentrate on your breathing and your anxiety producing thoughts. This is the perfect opportunity to talk to God. Call upon Him for help, guidance, and ask Him to “to protect [you] from all anxiety.” Try finding even the smallest things that you are thankful for that happened either that particular morning or week and thank God for that blessing.

As college students, it’s so easy to get lost in our own worlds. It’s so easy to become preoccupied solely with our tests, papers, jobs, and friends-we are all guilty of this fault, myself included. As for a solution, try re-centering yourself. Pray about it. Ask God to present himself as number one in your life again and then, maybe, hopefully, whatever was once stressing you out will seem less like a losing battle you are fighting alone, and instead will mirror more of a conquest you will be able to conquer with God as your light, protector, and strength.