What is Stress?

Stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental steadiness.

Biologically a stressful event can trigger the “fight-or-flight” response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body.

 

What causes stress in students?

Stress is the body’s natural way to respond to challenges. When a student experiences high levels of stress or chronic stress, regardless of his age or grade, it can interfere with his ability to learn, memorize, and earn good grades, as well as lead to poor physical, emotional and mental health.

Following are few reasons which may lead to increase in stress:-

• Inadequate Sleep: Students who don’t have good sleeping habits or the ones who don’t take 6-8 hrs. Of sleep are likely to get stress than the ones who take proper sleep. Sleep allows body and brain to recharge leading to strong immune system.

 

• Academic Pressure: Often students take pressure while exams approach near or work load of assignment and projects make the students take stress which in turn leads to “health epidemic”.

 

• Poor Eating Habits: Unhealthy eating habits or less intake of nutritive food can also lead to stress. Food items which are high in fat can increase stress level, also caffeine, sugar, carbohydrates, and processed food, owns some part of the “stress increasing food”.

 

How to reduce the stress level in students?

• A healthy diet: Students should add fruits, whole grains and lean proteins to their diet regime.

 

• Exercise: Doing sport is the best way to reduce stress. It helps your body produce endorphins, which make you feel good. Even daily walks of 30 minutes can help reduce stress levels.

 

• Meditate: Take out 10 minutes from your hectic schedule and try sitting quietly for these 10 mins. It’ll relax your mind and well as your body.

 

• Get a Pet: It is said that spending time with animals is good for health. If you pat a dog for a couple of minutes, your body will release hormones which will in turn release your stress.

 

• Sleep off: Sleeping is the best medicine to release stress as it relaxes our body and refreshes our mind. Even a small nap can do wonders.

 

• Listen to Music: Tired of doing work and want some break? Put on the music (preferably light music) which could calm your mind and also you can proceed with your work without any hindrance.

 

• Quit Smoking: If you have a habit of smoking quit it at once, because you may feel that smoking might relax you, but actually it has content called nicotine which suppresses the hormone “serotonin”, which helps in fighiting stress.

 

• Laugh: Laugh your heart out because it’s rightly said “laughter is the best medicine”. Laughing can increase oxygen level in your blood which indeed can reduce stress.

 

Lastly don’t take life seriously,you never know what may happen in the very next moment;

Enjoy every single moment;

Logout from social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp);

Take out time for yourself and for your loved ones.