Stress, a big part of student life

By Akhil Murthy

Now, in my third and final year of University, I have two part-time jobs, get my coursework in on time, I am not sleep deprived and still have got my free time. I don`t start my coursework the day before the deadline anymore and don`t end up having to pull an all-nighter.

Comparing my experience of stress from first year of University to my current year, I can see that I gradually learnt to cope and manage stress.

I have learnt that everybody is affected by stress in different ways, shows a diverse range of symptoms and has diverse coping system, which is important to understand, especially when supporting your mates.

Without all the support around me, I wouldn`t have such a positive attitude towards stress as a whole and sometimes, I still need a helping hand to push me through. I am particularly grateful to have friends that are in the same boat as me, so I can observe how they cope with things and I don`t feel I have to go through things on my own. Sometimes, a motivational TED talk and a chocolate bar is all I need to carry on with life and other times I just need to dance the tension off on the dance floor.

Many students are not aware of the excellent free support that is offered by the University and the Students Union. UMAX, for instance offer a wide range of support on their website, such as advice on stress management, keeping healthy, study locations etc. However, if you feel like having a confidential chat with someone about any kind of worries that you are currently facing, I would advise you to go and see Alison Larner, the Student Advisor.

All in all, I find that all kind of support (especially chocolate) is very helpful in order to learn to manage and cope with any kind of stress.