Life can be pretty stressful at times. As an international student, there is a lot of pressure for you. Not only do you have to navigate life in a foreign country, you also have to navigate being a student and balancing that with friends, work and other extracurriculars.
It’s normal to experience stress, because it is your body’s way of reacting to the pressure it faces. Having a balanced lifestyle will help you to manage your stress. As humans, we experience stress when there is an imbalance between the demands being made on us and how we cope with it. How much stress affects us also depends a lot on our attitudes and how we feel at the time. This is known as the ‘stress response’ or ‘stress cycle’. The cycle has 3 stages:
- Perceiving the threat,
- Fight or flight response and,
- Relief (this includes both psychological and physiological relief).
Every time you experience stress, you will go through the cycle so it is important you know how you can complete this cycle in order to manage and cope with your stressors. Keep reading along as I take you through some strategies within this article.
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Martin Luther King
There are 5 main categories of activities you can do in order to complete the stress cycle; exercise, cognitive, creative, social and self-soothing.
Exercise
Have you ever thought about the fact that you always think clearer after exercising? That’s because it increases endorphins and serotonin which helps to improve your mood. There so many ways to exercise without feeling like you are, such as:
- Dancing
- Yoga
- Listening to a podcast while you walk
- Playing different sport activities like table tennis or badminton
Cognitive Activities
Trying activities to reduce your negative thinking can help reduce your irrational thinking when you are experiencing stress. Why not try some of the below:
- Journalling
- Practicing gratitude
- Getting enough sleep
Creative Activities
Think THRIVE Thursdays! Lately we have been exploring our creativity in order to take a break and clear our minds of any negative thoughts and worries. Participating in creative activities can help you get into a state of focus and relaxation. It doesn’t just have to be arts and crafts, maybe you could try:
- Gardening
- Cooking
- Dancing
- Puzzles
- Listening to music
- Knitting
- Colouring in
Social Activities
Did you know? Scrolling through social media really isn’t a helpful way to complete the stress cycle. Doing this has actually been associated with an increase in stress responses instead! What we’re talking about here, is spending time with others! It doesn’t have to be a big elaborate activity either:
- Confide in someone you trust and share how you are feeling with them. It helps a lot to get your feelings out into the open and maybe they can help support you!
- Spend focused time with your pet, if you have one
- Try an activity with a friend such as reading or exercise
- Join one of our new student clubs
Self-soothing Activities
Yes, this includes having a cry! Sometimes, letting it out and allowing yourself to cry can help relieve stress. I’m not saying cry every time, but you know those times where you’re really overwhelmed with stress and you feel like you’ll barely make it through the door before bursting into tears? I’m talking about those times. Give yourself the time and space for those tears, blow your nose, take a deep breath and reset.
For when you don’t feel like crying though, why not try:
- Breathing techniques
- Meditation – try this 5 minute guided meditation from Headspace
- Stretching
- Warm showers or baths
- Sensory/fidget gadgets
Featured Events
THRIVE Thursday
Date: Thursday 25 April
Time: 12pm – 1pm & 4:30pm – 6pm
Location: Common Room, Level 1, L5 Building, UNSW College
Fortnightly Program
THRIVE Thursday
Date: Thursday 2 May
Time: 12pm – 1pm & 4:30pm – 6pm
Location: Common Room, Level 1, L5 Building, UNSW College
Free flu vaccinations for students
Date: Tuesday 7 & Wednesday 8 May
Time: 9am – 5pm
Location: Common Room, Level 1, L5 Building, UNSW College
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