Invention Journal of Research Technology in Engineering & Management (IJRTEM) ISSN: 2455-3689 www.ijrtem.com Volume 1 Issue 3 ǁ May. 2016 ǁ PP 08-11
Study on Stress Management by Professional Graduates Janani Rajaraman, Assistant Professor Department of EIE, SCSVMV University, India
ABSTRACT: This article is a study and analysis of stress management by professional graduates. To start with various situations where students feels the stress is discussed. Various kind of stress the professional graduates faces isalso analyzed. The causes for such a type of stress they face and also identified the ways to overcome those stress. Few stress management strategies are also stated to be followed by the professional graduates in their environment. The Anova Test is applied to test the significance difference exist among the respondents attributes based on the type of course. Keywords: Distress, Stress causes, Positive stressor, College graduates
1. Introduction Stress is the way human beings react both physically and mentally to changes, events, and situations in their lives. People experience stress in different ways and for different reasons. The reaction is based on your perception of an event or situation. If you view a situation negatively, you will likely feel distressed—overwhelmed, oppressed, or out of control. Distress is the more familiar form of stress. The other form, eustress results from a ―positive‖ view of an event or situation, which is why it is also called ―good stress‖. Eustress helps you rise to a challenge and can be an antidote to boredom because it engages focused energy. That energy can easily turn to distress, however, if something causes you to view the situation as unmanageable or out of control. A positive stressor for one person can be a negative stressor for another.[1]Stress is a fact of life, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. You cannot avoid stress, but you can learn to manage it so it doesn’t manage you. Changes in our lives—such as going to college, getting married, changing jobs, or illness—are frequent sources of stress. Keep in mind that changes that cause stress can also benefit you. Moving away from home to attend college, for example, creates personal-development opportunities—new challenges, friends, and living arrangements. That is why it’s important to know you and carefully consider the causes of stress. Learning to do this takes time, and although you cannot avoid stress, the good news is that you can minimize the harmful effects of stress, such as depression or hypertension. The key is to develop an awareness of how you interpret, and react to, circumstances. This awareness will help you develop coping techniques for managing stress. For example, the stress you encounter as a student differs in intensity from what you may experience in the any other, particularly while deployed or in combat.
2. Causes for stress
The most frequent reasons for ―stressing out‖ fall into three main categories: The unsettling effects of change The feeling that an outside force is challenging or threatening you The feeling that you have lost personal control. Life events such as marriage, changing jobs, divorce, or the death of a relative or friend are the most common causes of stress.[2] Although life-threatening events are less common, they can be the most physiologically and psychologically acute. They are usually associated with public service career fields in which people experience intense stress levels because of imminent danger and a high degree of uncertainty—police officer, fire and rescue worker, emergency relief worker, and the military. You may not plan to enter a high-stress career, but as a college student, you may find that the demands of college life can create stressful situations. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes some of the more common stressors for college students: Increased academic demands Being on your own in a new environment Changes in family relations Financial responsibilities Changes in your social life Exposure to new people, ideas, and temptations Awareness of your sexual identity and orientation Preparing for life after graduation
3. WAYS TO MANAGE STRESS IN COLLEGE Being a student is fun and challenging. At the same time, it is often quite stressful. Here are some ideas for dealing with the stresses,[3][14]
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Manage Yourself. Most people talk about managing time in order to have more of what life has to offer, but it is only in managing ourselves that we really see a difference in our lives and are able to handle any stress life throws at us. Manage yourself and other things will fall into place. Control your environment by controlling who and what is surrounding you. Life is like a teacup. There is only so much ―stuff‖ that will fit into it. If you fill your cup with the wrong things and wrong people, you won’t have time for the right things and right people. The wrong things and people bring stress. The right people and things bring joy and contentment. Choose who and what gets your time and attention Be good to yourself. Acknowledge yourself for the good you do! Be gentle with yourself when things don’t go as you might have wanted them to. There are just some things that you can’t control – no matter how much you want to. Love yourself for who you are right now- at this very moment. Reward yourself. Leisure activities are otherwise known as recreational activities. When you do things that bring you joy, you are re-creating your spirit. Nurturing your spirit is a great way to help you reduce stress. Take time to do things that reward you, every day.[4] Exercise your body. Health and vitality depend on your body’s ability to use oxygen and food effectively. One of the ways to help that happen is through exercise. Exercise also releases endorphins, which have been shown to improve one’s mood, making it a great way to deal with stress! Move your body every day! Relax yourself. What do you do to really relax? Do you even take the time, or know how to? Meditation, listening to soothing music, spending time with friends and people you love, conscious breathing… these are all ways to really relax. If your mind is pulled to the things that stress you, you aren’t really relaxed! Take time to be absolutely quiet every day. Rest yourself. It’s important to take breaks. There’s a reason why employers give you several during the day. Take them. While you are responsible for your own study schedule, it’s critical to your success that you take time to rest — away from your desk — takes naps if you’re feeling nappish! It’s also important to get sufficient sleep. Most people need at least seven hours each night. Good sleep habits include having a set bed time and a set waking time. Did you know that if you don’t get the amount of sleep you need, you can be off (in your ability to think, respond and judge) by as much as 50% the next day? Following a pattern and establishing a rhythm for yourself and your body help you be more relaxed and less stressed during the day. Go to bed! Don’t apologize for wanting to ―turn in‖ early! Be aware of yourself. Pay attention to your body. It gives you clues as to what it needs, and when something is wrong with it. Also, know what makes you feel great, and what makes you feel lousy. Being able to recognize them will help you make great decisions for yourself. Also, listen to your intuition. Your wise self never gives you the wrong answers. Your head, on the other hand, will almost always try to talk you out of it. Wake up and pay attention. You learn all sorts of things this way Feed yourself and avoid poisoning your body. Our minds have really been polluted with ideas of what a ―healthy‖ diet looks like, and what ―proper‖ nutrition is. Learn about what things like ―low fat‖ prepared foods, sugar, fat, caffeine and tap water are really doing to your body. Improper nutrition causes stress in the body. It’s not hard to get the right information and make great choices for yourself. Eat good stuff!! Your body will thank you![5] Enjoy yourself. We’ve all seen stories of people who are diagnosed with some horrible disease and given six months to live who have, in those last months, really developed a love of life — a desire to enjoy it all. Well, forget about the person with only 6 months…. what about you? You probably only have 80 or so years if even that … shouldn’t each moment of your life be utterly succulent too? There’s only so much time in this life. Every moment of it is precious. Make it all count. When you do, you’ll find you have less stress, fewer physical problems, and that you’re more productive. Look for the good/sweet/fun/joyous in every situation, even when life seems less than fair.
4. STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Learn how to say ―NO!‖ – know your limits and do not compromise them. Taking on more than you can handle is not a good choice. It is ok if you don’t do every single activity that your club, fraternity, sorority or your friends are doing. [6] Attitude – it is human nature to want to freak out. Your mind is a powerful tool; use it in your favour. Thinking rationally can take you a long way. Laugh – Do something that you enjoy, take on a hobby, hang out with friends, and learn to balance your life. If you are feeling upset, express your feelings. Don’t keep them to yourself because that will only add to your stress. [7][9] Avoid alcohol and cigarettes – this is just a quick fix. Once the chemical leave your body, you are back to feeling stressed and you are probably worse off than when you started. Healthy eating – get the proper nutrition. Eat at least one hot-home cooked meal a day. Exercise – physical activities can help you in not only burning off calories, but burning off stress. Exercise helps release tension. Exercise for 30 minutes a day for at least 3 times per week. Relaxing your mind and body – take deep breaths. Visualize success. Set some ―alone time‖ where you do something you enjoy. Practice ―mindfulness‖, focusing your attention on the present moment.
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Study On Stress Management By Professional Graduates
Sleep – at least 7 hours of sleep are needed in order for your brain and body to function at optimum level. Avoid taking naps for more than 1 hour. Healthy relationships – talk and hang out with friends. Find some you relate to and with whom you can share your problems with.[12][13] Time management – get a planner; create a schedule, or even a to-do list. Map out what your quarter will look like. Once you have done that, do a schedule for each week. Then create a schedule for each day. Be specific. Mark down your class meeting times, study time for a specific subject, mealtimes, fun activities, and sleep. Organization – learn how to organize your notes, keep track of your assignments and note important due dates or date of exams. Establish your priorities for the day. Budget – create a budget for your monthly expenses. Distribute your money according to the bills you need to pay for the quarter (i.e. rent, tuition, groceries, personal items, house bills, gasoline, etc.). Determine about how much money you will be able to spend ―for fun.‖ Spirituality – spiritually is regarded as finding meaning in your life, the ability to connect with others. Determine your learning style – find out whether you are a visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learner. Slow Down – take a deep breath and know your limits. Take your time so that you can ensure a well done job. Find a support system – whether it’s your mom, sister, brother, friend or counsellor, find someone you feel comfortable sharing your feelings with. Sometimes all we need is to vent off the frustration. Make changes in your surroundings – if you find it difficult to study in your dorm try moving to a place where there is no loud music, and brighter lights. Delegate responsibilities – when school or work becomes overwhelming, dividing up the work or responsibilities helps alleviate pressure and stress. The Anova Test is applied to test the significance difference exist among the respondents attributes based on the type of course. There is a significance difference exists among the respondents opinion about the course based on the type of course are Welfare Facilities, Culture, Infrastructure and scope for course since the obtained values less than 0.05 and there is no significance difference exists among the respondents opinion about the course and course based on the type of course are Lecture Methods, Placement, Supporting Academic Activities and Relationship. ANOVA Sum of df Mean F Squares Square Between Groups 2 2.824 4.211 5.648 WELFARE FACILITIES Within Groups 102 .671 68.409 Total 104 74.057 Between Groups 2 2.903 4.015 5.806 CULTURE Within Groups 102 .723 73.755 Total 104 79.562 Between Groups 2 2.404 3.327 4.808 INFRASTRUCTURE Within Groups 102 .723 73.706 Total 104 78.514 Between Groups 2 3.415 3.546 6.830 SCOPE FOR COURSE Within Groups 102 .963 98.218 Total 104 105.048 Between Groups 2 3.191 2.288 6.382 LECTURE METHODS Within Groups 102 1.395 142.246 Total 104 148.629 Between Groups 2 2.814 1.897 5.629 PLACEMENT Within Groups 102 1.484 151.362 Total 104 156.990 Between Groups 2 3.333 2.292 6.666 SUPPORTING ACADEMIC Within Groups 102 1.454 148.325 ACTIVITES Total 104 154.990 Between Groups 2 3.840 5.030 7.681 RELATIONSHIP Within Groups 102 .764 77.881 Total 104 85.562 Fig. 1.Respondents opinion about the course
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Sig.
Remarks
.017
Significant
.021
Significant
.040
Significant
.032
Significant
.107
Not Significant
.155
Not Significant
.106
Not Significant
.008
Significant
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Study On Stress Management By Professional Graduates 5. CONCLUSION Here are four guidelines to help develop this rhythm between study and not study to prevent student from becoming too stressed and achieving your maximum potential as a student. It is only one suggestion and should be adapted to what works best. 1. Every semester and mid semester break (four times a year) student should have some period of holiday time. This will give him / her something to look forward to each term and student can then return to study refreshed. It can be an excellent motivation. Many students say they will study during holiday breaks and even take their books with them. What usually happens is that they put the study off and have time off anyway. However, it is not effective time off because they worry and feel guilty, which exhausts them. It is much better to remove the worry and guilt and get rejuvenated.[8] 2. Every week student should have at least one day off. You and everyone around him should know it is his/her day off from study. On that day it is fine to do other things like cleaning, cooking, shopping etc but not study. 3. Every day have some time that he/she knows and feel is legitimate to not study perhaps three hours. It is during these times that he/she can do the things that give his/her life its balance that will help you study more effectively. 4. Every hour student need some time off. Time sitting at his/her desk trying to study but not studying is wasted time. It is much better to get up, have a break and then return when his/her mind is very clear. Very few people can study for more than thirty to fifty minutes with full concentration. She/he should then have a short break, maybe 10-15 minutes, then continue to study, then a break again – and keep up this rhythm. People can study for a long time like this. When he/she is having extreme difficulty studying he/she can even reduce the study time to 15 minutes and in a short time he/she will be able to increase it again. Many students study until they cannot study any more. It is often better to stop while study is going well because it is much easier to return to it. During the short break do things that refresh: go outside, do something physical, dance, walk, play some musical instruments – whatever gives he/she a break from study. Then return to the study.
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[12]. [13]. [14].
Ashley Weinberg, Cary L. Cooper, Dr Valerie J Sutherland, Frank Bond, Organizational Stress Management: A Strategic Approach. Eve Adamson, The Everything Stress Management Book: Practical Ways to Relax, Be Healthy.... Paul M. Lehrer, Robert L. Wool folk, Wesley E. Sime, Principles and Practice of Stress Management, Third Edition Jeff Davidson, Stress Management MichealOlpin, Margie Hesson, ―Stress Management for Life: A Research- Based Experimental Approach‖ Susan R Gregson, ―Stress Management‖ James H. Humphery, ― Stress Education for College Students‖ Brain Luke Seawer, ―Essentials of Managing Stress‖ ―Stress and the College Student‖, National Health Ministries ―Stress Management‖, Academic Skills Center, California Polytechnic state University, California Carol L. Flinchbaugh, E.Whitney G. Moore, Young K. Chang, Douglas R.May, ― Student Well-being Interventions: The Effects of Stress Management Techniques and Gratitude Journaling in the Management Education Classroom‖, Journal of Management Education, April 2012; vol. 36, 2: pp. 191-219 ―Managing Stress and being a Successful Student‖, University of Adelaide. ―Managing Stress: A Guide for College Students:, University Health Center, University of Geogia ―10 ways to Manage Stress in College‖, by Stacy Brice
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