Managing stress
Some stress is beneficial – it can activate and motivate us. Without any stress we would be unlikely to get anything done at all. But too much stress over long periods isn’t good for us.
Each individual has a different capacity for managing stress.
Your capacity to manage stress is influenced by your genetics, temperament, personality, upbringing, and previous significant life events. It is also influenced by the actions or strategies you use to cope.
Imagine a bucket as representing your ability to cope with stress.
- The size of your bucket will be bigger or smaller based on things like your genetics, temperament and life to date
- Your coping strategies release water from the tap on your bucket – preventing it from overflowing
- When you have more stress than you are able to manage or release, your bucket may overflow. This is distress.
Distress is the point at which demands have exceeded the capacity to cope.
When you or others aren’t coping, reach out for help or use a healthy coping strategy that works for you. It’s human to need another person’s support. Call a friend, phone a helpline or talk with a counsellor or GP.
Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you’re strong enough to know that you could be better but need some help to get there. Even if someone else needs to give you the push, it is your strength that takes the first step.
– Lauren, Student
I know first hand what’s it’s like to have a mental illness, and how being at uni and studying can make it that much harder to deal with and can affect your work. There is always someone to reach out to, there is always someone feeling the same way. You’re not alone.
– Brigette, Student
