PLAN, Manage Your Professional Development as a Graduate Student
Stress is a potential response to any physical, emotional, and intellectual demands. When we say we are stressed, we generally mean that our stress levels feel out of balance. This imbalance can happen not only when you are feeling overwhelmed by work or studying, but also when you are bored or relaxing. Slight increases of stress force you to adapt, making you stronger and allowing you to grow, but larger increases can be very overwhelming and negatively affect your overall health.
The American College Health Association reported that college students have named stress as the primary factor affecting their academic life. While the prevalence of stress among graduate students is less studied, graduate life is full of stress. Some stressful events may seem obvious, such as moving away from family and friends to attend school, new friendships and intimate relationships, etc. Others, you may not realize, including the demanding environment of higher education and financial concerns.
Hundreds of studies have measured how high stress impacts our immune systems and hinders our ability to fight disease. Below is some basic information on different expressions of stress.
Stress is not all bad. Stress, when at a reasonable level, allows us to succeed (for example, feeling a little anxious before a test may help you study harder). Stress, in some cases, may help us to perform better, work more quickly or efficiently and think more clearly. Since stress can be a good thing, it is better to keep an optimal level than to try to eliminate stress altogether. However, as you can see from the above list of negative outcomes, stress needs to be managed and kept in check. The University Health Service website offers useful coping techniques for you to keep your stress in balance, such as changing your mindset, taking care of your body and mind, managing your time, and adapting to school pressure.
While stress is an inevitable part of our lives, it doesn't necessarily mean that we should be able to cope with everything on our own. There are many campus resources are available where you can get help.
Many graduate students believe that they are supposed to feel financially stressed. They assume being stressed about money must be part of their graduate school life. In reality, it is possible to relieve most of your financial stress with a financial plan and stress relieving activities. Hopefully the links and information on this financial wellness site will aid in your financial planning. In order to address financial stress, the University of Michigan's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides counseling and stress relieving activities for FREE to University of Michigan students.
Stress-relieving activities can be anything that works for you, such as physical activity, meditation, hanging out with friends, etc. CAPS also provides links to online stress reduction tools such as video yoga and muscle relaxation. If you feel like you cannot control your stress on your own or prefer to talk to someone, CAPS offers individual, group, or couple's counseling sessions. If you need help determining if you experience above average stress, CAPS provides educational resources on their website. CAPS "rule of thumb" is to seek help whenever stress interferes with your life.
Text adapted from Stress: Is It Your Major? by University Health Service, Division of Student Affairs, University of Michigan
