By Qistina Kamal
Stress can be defined as being subjected to physical, mental or emotional strain in response to real or imagined stimuli. Stress can be divided into two categories, which are positive stress, also known as eustress, and negative stress, sometimes called distress. As a university student, one could not escape from facing various challenges which naturally involves both types of stress.
While positive stress helps the student to improve, evolve further and move forward, negative stress is an obstacle many find difficulty to overcome. These negative stress can be dealt with by various methods. Firstly, it is time management. Most students tend to take this for granted and waste valuable time on something unproductive which induces negative stress when they need to rush for submission nearing the deadlines. Proper planning of time management should be done to allocate adequate time for assignments, submissions, exercise, relaxation, sleep on so on.
Secondly, have enough sleep and rest. Our body is subject to tiredness and sickness similar to wear and tear in equipment. When tiredness and sickness starts to affect the body, the student will be in bad mood and negative stress set in. Therefore, sleep is the best medicine as it preps our body accordingly for the activities ahead the next day. Even a 20-minute nap can help increase productivity tremendously.
Next is a varied and healthy diet. The human body needs nutritious food and drinks to rejuvenate and produce energy repair the body cells. This in turn prevents tiredness and the feeling of lethargic thus preventing negative stress. Furthermore, the boost in the immune system due to proper nutrition will help in combating stress.
Besides that, consistent exercise is crucial in avoiding negative stress. Participating in sports or a trip to the gym is a great way to reduce stress. When engaging in these physical activities, it helps the body to produce endorphins which are the ‘feel good’ hormones which make us feel more relaxed and calm. Furthermore, during sport activities, students will have regular contact with other people, thus helping in improving one’s mood as well.
Other than that, listening to the correct types of music helps in reducing negative stress. Music has the ability to calm oneself down and put the person in the right frame of mind. Putting on some calm music during stressful work could greatly help in reducing negative stress.
Finally, most people say that laughter is the best medicine. This is mostly true because laughing out loud increases oxygen and blood flow to the body which automatically reduces stress. So, watching a funny series, comedy movies or even hearing some funny jokes is highly recommended.***