While we all try our best to manage our stress during finals, sometimes we still end up feeling overwhelmed or anxious. While eating, sleeping, and exercising regularly are good preventative measures for managing stress, we can also combat stress with relaxation techniques that work right in the stressful moment. There are many different healthy relaxation techniques, and different exercises work better for different people. Try out a few and see what works best for you.

To relax, de-stress and prepare for finals, come by the Panepinto Plaza outside the Mac Mahon Student Center on Monday, May 5th. Accompanied by a DJ, the fair features free chair massages, calming teas, fun crafts, exciting presentations, and more.

Exercises for Relaxation

Feeling stressed right now? Here are a couple techniques to try out. Stop by the Center for Personal Development’s table at the Relaxation Fair to learn more.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

By systematically and deliberately tensing and relaxing all of your muscle groups one-by-one, you can become more aware of the tension you are holding in your body and release it to feel more relaxed. Check out this video that guides you through the process in just 10 minutes.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Also called belly breathing, diaphragmatic breathing is a way of breathing deep into our abdomen, not our chest. We naturally do this as babies, expanding our belly out when we breathe in and contracting our muscles back in to breathe out, but this often takes practice for us master as adults. Most people take shallow breaths into their chests, but with frequent practice and focus, you can maximize your body’s oxygen intake and trigger it’s natural relaxation response. Once mastered, you can use this technique anywhere you feel anxious or stressed, including final exam rooms!

• Get started with this how-to guide and explanations at MindBodyGreen.com
• If you have an androids, iphoness or ipads, try downloading the free app, “Breathe 2 Relax”. With instructional videos and interactive breathing exercises, you can practice diaphragmatic breathing wherever you go.

The Center for Personal Development is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. We offer free and confidential counseling to the Saint Peter’s Community. To schedule an appointment, call (201) 761-6420 or stop by our office.

For many of us, this spring is a time of transitions, including the upcoming graduation for seniors. Others are taking on more working hours as the summer approaches, going through breakups, or changing apartments or roommates. These can be unsettling times between periods of relative stability, so it’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed, out of control, and stressed. Symptoms of stress include irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite and insomnia. Although eliminating stress entirely during transitions is unrealistic, we do have some control over the stress that we feel.

What we think directly informs how we feel, which includes feeling stressed. By identifying and changing the way we think about our recent breakup or upcoming graduation, we have the power to actually reduce our stress levels.

Particularly during stressful life transitions, we might engage in negative self-talk. Self-talk, or our inner dialogue, can either be positive such as, “I’m doing the best I can and I’ll get through this situation,” or negative, “I can’t do it, this is too much and I’ll never get through this.” Negative self-talk happens when we magnify only the negative aspects of a situation, blame ourselves, anticipate the worst, and think that if something isn’t perfect, it’s a complete failure. If we magnify the negative aspects of whatever transition we are going through, we also magnify our stress.

Think back to the month before you started college. You might have caught yourself thinking, “I’ll never make friends.” If you said that to yourself, do you remember how stressed you felt when anticipating moving into your first residence hall or starting class with new classmates and professors? During that same month before college, did you ever find yourself thinking, perhaps after spending time with a friend, “I have close friends now and have always made friends in the past so even if it might feel awkward at first, in time I will be okay.” Do you remember how, even if just for that passing moment, you felt less stressed about meeting new people at school?

We have control over our stress even if we don’t have control over a situation. A senior graduating this year does not have control over the fact that he or she will soon be leaving Saint Peter’s and transitioning to a new work or educational environment. But by becoming aware of negative self-talk and working to replace it with more productive thoughts such as, “This feels both scary and exciting”, “I don’t need to have my whole life figured out right now”, and “People change careers many times throughout their lives anyway”, the senior will most likely feel less stressed and more empowered.

Reducing stress during transitions is not about simply looking on the bright side of every situation or ignoring negative feelings. Transitions are difficult for everyone and can bring up many feelings, both negative and positive. The key is to recognize when we’re engaging in negative self-talk and note our body’s cues that let us know when we’re feeling stressed (e.g. sweaty palms, heart pounding, feeling restless). Once we’re aware of our cues, we can re-frame our understanding of situations in a more productive way that encourages less stress.

For more guidance on handling stress and transitions, come visit our office, check out our literature on stress management or make an appointment with one of our counselors.

References: Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, March 4). Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/ stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950

The Center for Personal Development is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. We offer free and confidential counseling to the Saint Peter’s Community. To schedule an appointment, call (201) 761-6420 or stop by our office.

The Wellness Wheel describes multiple parts of the self that we can nurture to promote our own well-being as a whole person. We all have different ways of addressing each aspect of our wellness. Some people might find that they feel the best when they are out in nature addressing their environmental self—hiking or walking in a park. Others might find that spending time in a serene indoor space helps them to maintain their environmental well-being. Some might nurture their physical self by jogging or dancing, and their spiritual self through yoga or meditation. Some activities will nurture more than one type of wellness.

While research supports the idea that certain intellectual, spiritual, environmental, occupational, physical, emotional, or social activities could increase well-being and potentially alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression (1), it is important to remember that what works for one person does not necessarily work for the next. As a unique individual, you can and should take the time to note what you do already that helps you feel your best, and try out new activities that could nurture different parts of yourself.

Come by our Wellness Fair on Thursday, March 6th in the Duncan Family Sky Room (the top floor of the Mac Mahon Student Center) to learn more about multiple aspects of your own well-being. The fair will feature activities including free massages, a yoga class, blood pressure screenings, chiropractic screenings, nutrition information, and giveaways. There will also be opportunities to interact with specialists and learn tools to develop all aspects of wellness.

Image Source: (2014, February 14). Wheel 2 [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from https://www.utexas.edu/hr/current/wellness/ 

Yoga and Exercise: Physical and Spiritual Well-Being

Yoga 

The theory and practice of yoga has been found to increase one’s feelings of ease and well-being, and potentially aid in the alleviation of some depressive and anxious symptoms (1). Some researchers attribute these positive effects to yogic breath and body work that regulates the autonomic nervous system and decreases levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. In particular, yoga has been shown to reduce performance or test anxiety (see the February Newsletter for more on this). Mindfulness and meditation, two practices associated with yoga, increase melatonin levels, which may regulate mood and sleep patterns (2). People may use yoga to attend to their spiritual or physical wellness.

Physical Exercise 

Besides improved physical health, for several hours following aerobic exercise, people tend to feel less anxious and be in a better mood (3). Whether you use machines at the gym, run or walk outside, play a sport, ride a bike, swim, or dance, we have the potential to improve our physical and emotional well-being.

The Center for Personal Development is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. We offer free and confidential counseling to the Saint Peter’s Community. To schedule an appointment, call (201) 761-6420 or stop by our office.

What is Test Anxiety?

February 2014
Happy Valentines Day!

Test anxiety is not only uncomfortable, (Think: sweaty palms, pounding heart, racing thoughts, upset stomach or even panic attacks), but it can negatively affect our performance. This anxiety that results from the fear of not performing well in situations where we are evalsuated can actually inhibit our ability do just that—perform well.

Cognitive Interference Theory suggests that when someone has test anxiety, they experience negative, off-task self-dialogue that interferes with their working memory. This means that self-critical thoughts block our brain’s ability to function effectively. A compromised working memory system leads to impaired cognitive functioning and performance.

Although a low level of stress or anxiety can help us stay alert and focused, test anxiety hinders our ability to do our best and negatively affects us psychologically, physically, and academically.

References:
Coy, B., O’Brien, W. H., Tabaczynski, T., Northern, J., & Carels, R. (2011). Associations between evalsuation anxiety, cognitive interference and performance on working memory tasks. Applied Cogni-tive Psychology, 25(5), 823-832. doi:10.1002/acp.1765

What Can You Do?: Tips for Handling Test Anxiety

Do you experience test anxiety? Many of us do. Luckily, there are strategies you can try to avoid feeling so anxious when you step in the exam room. Here are a few tips.

Be prepared: Learn how to study efficiently in a way that works for you. Use quizzes from your textbooks or ask your professor for a practice exam to try on your own. Start studying earlier in smaller chunks to avoid feeling unprepared at the last minute.

Develop a unique routine: Before every test, listen to the same feel-good song with headphoness or get to the exam room early to find your seat and relax. Consistent routines help us ward away anxiety by focusing on familiar, concrete steps.

Take care of your body: Don’t forget to eat, drink water, exercise and sleep on a regular schedule. Taking care of yourself may be more important than going over your notes just one more time.

See a counselor: At the Center for Personal Development, we can help you address and work through feelings of anxiety.

Try a visualization exercise: This sound clip from MIT’s counseling center can help you to relax and mentally prepare for an exam through guided visualization.

References:
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2013).Test anxiety. Retrieved from https:// www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children/test-anxiety

Hall-Flavin, D. K. (2011, September 16). Is it possible to overcome test anxiety?. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ generalized-anxiety-disorder/expert-answers/test-anxiety/faq-20058195 

The Center for Personal Development is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. We offer free and confidential counseling to the Saint Peter’s Community. To schedule an appointment, call (201) 761-6420 or stop by our office.