This essay is about handling the stress of University studies. We will be looking into many ideas and different people’s views on how to handle stress. I will also be giving my own opinions on how I think stress can be controlled or relieved. The first thing we must do is ask ourselves one very important question, what is stress? According to an Australian born physician, Hans Selye, stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it. The body responds in many ways. One is the loss of blood and the other is to the lack of sleep. Both of these are nonspecific responses, however all demands made on the body evoke generalized, nonspecific responses. For example, they all enable you to concentrate as would normally be expected, they activate ones sympathetic nervous system, and they also increase the amount of the hormone epinephrine that is being released into your body. When people say they have been under a lot of stress they are usually referring to a couple of unpleasant experiences. Now that we have an idea on what stress is, the next question we should ask ourselves is what is or can cause stress.
There are many different things that cause stress. One may be if you have a big term paper due and

and you want to do your best to impress your instructor. Another may be peer or family related. All in all it is things, events, situations, and people that cause stress. It is how we perceive them that will determine whether or not stress will be a result from the encounter. Not only negative situations are the cause of stress; joy and happiness can also cause stress even though they are positive. In a sense, it is we then who choose our own stressors. Selye noted that with the absence of stress there is death. Current researchers are also discovering that too little stress may be a major cause of depression or boredom. It is therefore up to us to choose the best stressors and the optimal level of stress. Since we have now begun to understand the definition of stress as well as the causes we now ask ourselves, what can I do to control my stress?

Most studies indicate that social support holds an impact on stress. For example, in a 30-year longitudinal study of undergraduate college students, Valliant found a significant and positive correlation between supportive family environments and adult psychological adjustment in later life (Journal of College Student Personnel). Social support is a good way to help the handling of stress for it is the number of others that one can turn to. That available support system is a lean to for people as they can get others to help in their management of stress.

There have been many studies done on the management of stress. One group of researchers found out that many university students tended to gain weight their first year away from home. These students stated they overate in response to the many lifestyle changes and varying stresses of the university environment (Journal of College Student Personnel)². This group of students was placed in stress management sessions. These sessions included overall stress assessment, assertiveness training, time management, exploration of stressful thoughts or belief systems, and life-style and stress reducers. The main focus of these sessions were a) how to manage stress by using things other than food and b) how to apply stress management principles to the amount of food you take in. The majority of these students found better ways to manage or control their stress by using more healthful outlets, such as walking or taking up a sport.

I decided to interview a few of my peers and see exactly what they used or did, if anything, to help manage their stress. Some of the things I came up with were quite surprising. One person I talked to said they liked to take time off from their studies and write, either in a journal or a letter to someone. Another person said they liked to exercise, such as taking walks or doing aerobics. Another said they liked to take a break and have a nap. Other things mentioned were snacking, reorganizing their work, going to the bar, and having sex to