What is Stress? 

As referenced by the World Health Organization, "Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way we respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to our overall well-being." 

For college and high school students, we already know that stress can be induced by situations that range from academic to personal and from familial to social. Taking a hard test can be just as stressful as saying "no" to peer pressure. While most of the time we think about stress as a negative thing, stress actually can be positive sometimes. It all comes down to balance.  For example, good stress can be when we need to have a certain outcome - like when we are studying or finishing an essay.  Our brains are in almost a productive mode.  However, if our brains are under too much stress, our stress can be counter-productive and deter us from finishing or completing a task. We need to have a good balance. Our stress tip to you is, take a moment to ask yourself, "Am I stressed?" If your answer is yes, then ask, "Okay how is this affecting me?" and reflect on your daily routine and priorities. If you find yourself overwhelmed and too stressed, take a moment and do some self-care to decompress and recharge.  

What About Anxiety? 

According to an article in Harvard’s Health Publishing, it's common. "The sharpest increase in anxiety occurs during the initial transition to college. A recent study demonstrated that psychological distress among college students — that is, their levels of anxiety, depression, and stress — rises steadily during the first semester of college and remains elevated throughout the second semester. This suggests that the first year of college is an especially high-risk time for the onset or worsening of anxiety."

The increase in anxiety can be caused by many things like lack of sleep caused by drinking excess caffeine and pulling all-nighters to study.  Sometimes even loneliness can also add to our levels of anxiety. Whether in high school or college, sometimes feeling lonely during the holidays can add to our anxiety.  There are academic factors too like school stress and disengaging from studies. 

Similar to stress, too much anxiety can me detrimental to our health. We need to find a balance. So for this, we borrowed an Anxiety Assessment from MyLemarks, its an Anxiety Triggers worksheet that you can fill out to identify what those worries are in the moment. The goal is to identify what is causing your overwhelmingness. In times of high-stress and anxiety, it is important to take care of ourselves.  We can do this with Self-Care.

What is Self-Care? 

As defined in Everyday Health, "Self-care is anything you do to take care of yourself so you can stay physically, mentally, and emotionally well. Its benefits are better physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being. Research suggests self-care promotes positive health outcomes, such as fostering resilience, living longer, and becoming better equipped to manage stress."

Types of Self-Care

“It could be anything that floats your boat — anything that puts a smile on your face,” Dr. Gill Lopez says. “Anything that makes you feel cared for, even if it’s you caring for yourself.”

There are a few different categories of self-care:

• Emotional self-care, such as self-talk, weekly bubble baths, saying “no” to things that cause unnecessary stress, giving yourself permission to take a pause, or setting up a weekly coffee date with a friend

• Physical self-care, such as prioritizing sleep, adopting an exercise routine you can stick with, or choosing healthy and nourishing foods over highly processed ones

• Spiritual self-care, such as attending a religious service, spending time in nature, meditating, incorporating regular acts of kindness into your day, or keeping a gratitude journal

With social media, these days self-care sometimes can be mistaken for spending enormous amounts of money. "Treating Yourself" does not mean spending money. It means to do something for yourself that makes you feel loved and good. See some examples below for easy self-care tips. 

Resources 

While the Equitas Alumni Program is here to help. Sometimes we need to reach out to other professionals who are trained in specific areas to help you.  This article is not meant to diagnose anyone and if there is an emergency please call 911.  If you are in a non-emergency but still need help, here are some resources to keep in mind.  

Trevor Project: The only organization providing 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth (ages 13-24). 

Text ‘START’ to 678-678 

Call at 1-866-488-7386

LACDMH Help Line. (Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health) 24/7 crisis and emotional wellness resources (800) 854-7771 

If you or a loved one is experiencing or affected by a mental health, substance use, or suicidal crisis, please call or text ‘988’

LA Warmline 1-855-952-WARM (1-855-952-9276) 10pm - 6am 

A confidential overnight telephone support service in English & Spanish for anyone in Southern California who is struggling with loneliness, anxiety, substance use, mental health concerns, or needs information about available mental health services.

California Black Women's Health Project ​1-310-412-1828 

This organization seeks to empower women to become active participants in improving their health status and is committed to advocating for policies and practices that promote & improve the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional well-being of Black women and girls in California.

Telehealth (USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work) 1-866-740-6502 https://dworakpeck.usc.edu/clinical-programs/telebehavioral-health An online clinic that uses videoconferencing to provide clients with counseling and psychotherapy services in English & Spanish. 

Available Monday-Friday, 8am - 7pm PST. 12 individual sessions free!