Help with my stress and anxiety

Distress is a negative form of stress. This is the stress we feel when our bodies and minds are overwhelmed and our systems enter a state of survival. This stress often makes you feel tired, worn down, or exhausted. In the photo below, you would be on the right side - just like apathy or boredom, you're performance will suffer.

• When you're experiencing distress, the parts of your brain in charge of higher cognitive function (basically everything you need to do well on your chemistry exam!) shut down.

Many students respond to Distress by pushing themselves even harder - skipping meals, pulling all-nighters, or drinking excessive amounts of caffeine. Others might "shut down" and find themselves sleeping more than usual, zoning out, or even avoiding fun activities. These strategies often make distress even worse!

• Once you are in a Distress state, you need to find strategies to calm your body and mind. Try using calming apps (like Headspace!), coping skills, or getting support from professional resources.

Eustress is a positive form of stress. It's the jitteriness or nervousness you might feel right before a big game or performance - the kind of feeling that some people describe as "getting pumped up". When you care about something and want to be successful, but you feel the task is challenging - you experience Eustress. In the picture below, Eustress gets you to the Optimal Level of Performance - your feelings of stress motivate you to work hard to be successful. This is a good thing!

• If you didn't experience Eustress, you would be on the left side of the picture - Apathy or Boredom - and your performance would suffer. If you didn't care about that upcoming test and weren't motivated to study, you'd probably end up failing.
• Learn to Keep Eustress from becoming Distress! Many of the different pages in this Canvas can help you do this with strategies to better manage your time, improve your study skills, and address questions about financial aid and career planning.
  

Try new planners and journals like this new company, ImperfectInspiration Links to an external site., which was designed with ADHD in mind that also supports anxiety and stress. They have "Freebie Fridays" to get templates and tools like this To-Do list template that you can edit on your phone to save as your lock-screen.

Often we experience stress or anxiety when we build a schedule that doesn't align with our own peak focus and peak chill times. Map out your peak focus and peak chill times with this Time Planning Worksheet Download Time Planning Worksheet

Download Study Schedule Guide. The video shows you an example of this peak time mapping.

Do you find yourself feeling mentally drained at the end of every day? This video describes how the thousands of choices we make everyday can lead to decision fatigue. From deciding what to wear to choosing a major, we make small (and sometimes large) decisions that can cause us fatigue and drained. 

To reduce decision fatigue, try:

• Reducing the amount of decisions you make (say no!)
• Automating as many decisions as possible to free up time for more complicated decision making
• Making your most important decision of the day the first thing you tackle
• Cutting yourself some slack!

This video goes over twenty-one habits that will improve your life with little effort. Listed here are some of the habits you might consider implementing to improve your college experience:

• Refuse once a week
• Invest in experiences, not objects
• Throw things you don't away (or donate!)
• Ask open-ended questions
• Turn off notifications to help with focus

College is undoubtedly a stressful time. Everyone's stress looks different, but there are a few general ways that we can all manage stress. This video explains a few methods to manage stress as a college student. Try out one or more of these methods when you feel your stress growing:

• Organize your thoughts, tasks, and time
• Exercise
• Maintain social support and connections
• Deep breathing
• Breaking tasks into more manageable steps

The Counseling Center Links to an external site. is free for all students and offers a wide variety of services including individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatric appointments, substance use assessments, and crisis support. Services are held either virtually or in-person - schedule an appointment or drop in for more information.

If you have more questions, you can also check out their FAQ Links to an external site. website.

The Psychological Services Clinic Links to an external site. trains Master's and Doctoral level students in counseling-related fields and offers low-cost services to students and community members on a sliding scale (students can often receive services for just a few dollars - group therapy is free!). The clinic offers individual therapy, group therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, and clinical assessments. Visit the Psychological Services Clinic's Counseling Services Links to an external site. website to see a full list of services provided.

Have more questions? Check out their FAQ Links to an external site. website.

If you need accommodations, be sure to submit your documents and work with the Disability Resource Center Links to an external site.  (Links to an external site.)(DRC) right away to ensure your learning environment is equitable.

You need to reach out to them and start the process. Then they can understand your situation, needs, and request accommodations from your professors.

You can also register to be a peer note-taker to help someone else! Complete the Online Notetaker Application Links to an external site. to apply. 

Sometimes your stress and anxiety may be related to experiencing a traumatic event on campus. Check out the Help after an incident with crime, trauma, discrimination, other page for more information on resources and support.

Watch one of the videos on this page and pick out a strategy to try!