Stress

Stress and Time Management

Modified: 2025-09-19 (12:44 PM CDST)

Video:
- Ermey as psychiatrist
Definition of stress:
- complex physiological reactions that take place when trying to adapt to demands of external events
Definition of stressor:
- events that threaten or challenge an individual (or, they produce stress)
Definition of resilience:
- ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change
Signs of Stress
- irritability
- pounding heart
- dry mouth
- impulsiveness
- urges to run, cry, and hide
- inability to concentrate
- tics
- migraines
- feelings of unreality
- loss of "spark"
- easily startled
- teeth grinding (at night)
- trouble sleeping
- frequent urination
- diarrhea
- stomach upset
- missed menstruation
- neck or back pain
- changes in food intake
- change is smoking amount
- change in alcohol use
- nightmares
- accident proneness
- hives

Caffeine and Stress

Consumer Affairs on caffeine and those younger than 55

Sources of caffeine (and I'm betting most of you are NOT coffee drinkers. True?)

Coffee and Tea Caffeine	Ounces	Caffeine (mgs)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea	8	2
Black tea, brewed	8	47
Green tea, brewed	8	30 to 50
Plain coffee, brewed	8	95
Starbucks Coffee Grande	16	330

Soft drinks and energy drinks		Caffeine (mgs)
Coca-Cola Classic	12	35
Diet Coke	12	47
Mountain Dew	12	54
Red Bull	8.3	76
Monster Energy	16	160
SoBe No Fear	16	174

Foods and other products		Caffeine (mgs)
Hershey’s chocolate milk	8	10
Hershey’s milk chocolate	1.5	10
Dannon coffee yogurt	6	30
NoDoz Maximum Strength	1 tab.	200

Exercise and Stress
- Aerobic exercise
- Produces endorphins (e.g., "runner's high")
Sleep and Stress
- Get about 8 hours/night
- Use sleep hygiene
  - Have a sleep routine
    - e.g., like a child: dinner, bath, story, bed
  - Don't take long daytime naps
  - Read or listen to relaxation tape before sleep
  - Don't exercise at night
  - Sleep in same place
  - Have a regular schedule
Relaxation Techniques
- There are many ways to learn relaxation
- Relaxation techniques
Other Ways to Relieve Stress
- Learn how to reward yourself
- Keep your goals in mind
- Laugh
- Pray or Meditate
- Get a hobby
- Get a pet
- Get a massage
- Learn when to stop for a time out
Getting Help for Stress
- SAU Counseling Center
The CUSS
- Renner, M. J., & Mackin, R. S. (2000). A life stress instrument for classroom use (pp. 11-12). In M. E. Ware, & D. E. Johnson (eds.), Handbook of demonstrations and activities in the teaching of psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  - Take the College Undergraduate Stress Scale
The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes & Rahe)
- Compare to the CUSS
Personality and Stress
- Type A Personality
  - Time pressure
  - Aggression
  - Competitive
  - Impatient
  - High Strung
- Type B Personality
  - Lack of urgency
  - Easygoing
  - Patient
  - Relaxed
  - Calm
- Health and Personality
  - Type A more prone to heart disease (males especially) and to other stress-related diseases

Time Management

How do I best use my time?
What is procrastination?
What tools are there for time management?

Controlling Time

All you have is time. Tempus fugit. (Time flies.) Heard of three score and ten?
Goals and Priorities
- Let's make a list of goals
- Let's make a list of how to put our tasks in priority order
- What does staying focused mean?
  - Are you going to class?
  - Are you studying?
  - Do you have a job too?
  - Are you spending time with friends or family?
  - How much sleep are you getting?
  - Are you eating right?
  - Are you exercising?
  - Do you have time to relax?

Procrastination (let's talk about this next time...)

Sources
- Perfectionism (You don't finish a book, the publisher takes it away from you.)
- Fear of other's negative opinions
- Boredom
Curing Procrastination
- Make yourself finish the job
  - One way is hold off from doing something you'd rather be doing until you finish the job
  - Reward yourself AFTER you finish
- Make a to-do list
- Break bigger jobs into smaller chunks
  - Don't think of the whole English paper, instead think about the first paragraph
- Learn to say "No" to your friends and to your family when necessary
- Find a quiet place to study or write
- Turn off your cell phone while you are working

Class Schedule

Too late to change it for this semester
Now is the time to think about your Spring schedule
Do you have a daily planner?

You do if you have a cell phone
SAU gave you one (not yet, soon...)

Do you have a To-Do list?
- What does yours say?
List all of your weekly commitments
Be sure to schedule 2 hours of studying for each 1 hour of class time
Are you a day person or a night person?
Plan ahead AND plan for emergencies
- Print ACT ticket early. What if computer crashes or power goes out the night before?
What else do you need to learn in order to be ready for your courses?
- Computer skills
- Writing skills
- Using the library
Exercise Helps
- Schedule time for exercise
- Three times per week minimum
- 30 minutes of elevated heart rate each time
- Don't forget to cool down
- Be sure you have no medical conditions that prevent you from exercising
- Los Angeles Times - Walking is good for the brain

Your Day

Different strokes for different folks
- Know YOUR time-based requirements
- Don't try to imitate others' schedules
Maximize your open time periods
- Know when you are waiting around (between classes or riding to and from school)
- Don't waste your best times to study
- Use routine activities for social time (washing clothes or goofing off on the computer)
- Don't study just before eating
Create and maintain a routine
- Find or make a place to study
- Study 50--Rest 10--Study 50--Rest 10...
Monitor yourself
- Are you focused?
- Have you turned off your phone? Shut down your e-mail program? Managed other distractions?
- Avoid Multitasking--it does not work
- Be flexible-leave time blocks just in case something unexpected happens
Personalize your schedule
- Next semester consider making a schedule that suits your needs
  - Schedule classes, if possible, to fit your personality and study habits
  - If you have a job, try to schedule your classes so that they fit well
  - Think about whether back-to-back classes far across campus are feasible
Don't bite off more than you can chew
- Only you know how much coursework you can handle
- Know the drop date for the Fall 2014 semester (Wednesday, November 5, 2014)
- Remember, you must complete 30 hours each year!
- Communicate with your teachers early if you believe you are in academic trouble
- Get help early
Where and when to study?
- Bad places to study:
  - Social places-kitchens, common areas, and on your bed
- Good places to study
  - Quiet and private-library, your room (maybe), outdoors
  - SAU Late Night Study Hall in Bruce Center (thanks to Daniel Ibinola!)
  - Honors Office Computer Lab (during the day)
- Have a routine
  - Daily routine
  - Week-end routine
  - Special routines
    - My roommate in college rented a motel room before finals
- Music
  - Research has shown that listening to music while studying is not a good idea
- When
  - Morning-women prefer
  - Afternoon-men prefer
  - Evening-both prefer
  - DISCOVER your preferred times

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