Stress
What is it?
It is important to remember that stress is a form of the basic emotion fear. So it is good that you have an idea in the back of your mind of what fear entails and how it works.
Fear is one of the basic emotions and has an evolutionary function namely protecting ourselves. Without fear, we might put ourselves in high-risk situations with all the consequences that entails. However, through our upbringing history, past and experiences, we develop a "blueprint" of situations and things we should be afraid of.
For example: In principle, a look from a student in class is not very threatening. However, it can be perceived as threatening (you get stressed by it) if you have learned in your past that this can be dangerous. Think of someone who has been bullied and condemned by others.
In the latter case, we note that there is no threatening stimulus but only a trigger for you that causes this stimulus to be perceived as threatening by you. Often it is then your thoughts that cause this; "She looks at my hair and she thinks it's ridiculous...".
Stress while studying is usually triggered by these internal thoughts that make you alert and/or anxious.
These are common thoughts:
- "If I fail this test I will disappoint my parents"
- "Others do this so easily, why can't I do this"
- "If I fail then my student debt will rise"
Manifestations of stress:
Physically and in behaviour:
- Poor sleep
- Physical complaints (neck, head, back, intestinal complaints,....)
- Procrastination
- Working hard or just getting demotivated
- Drug use/alcohol consumption
- More or less appetite
Emotionally and cognitively:
- Increased or decreased libido
- Crying fits
- Listlessness
- Restlessness
- Dejection
- (hyper)Energetic
- Loss of concentration
Self-learning module
With your Fontys account, you can make free use of online self-help modules (e-health). Check out the modules related to stress below.
Stress among students
Stress is a part of life and therefore a part of student life as well. If your stress level won`t go down or if you often suffer from anxiety, this is your wake-up call to take action. In this module, you will examine what causes your stress. You will learn to recognise stress and tackle its root cause.
Work-related
Stress Do you combine studying with a part-time job or study alongside your job? That can be stressful, but stress is part of life and therefore also part of working. But do you often experience work stress? Work stress is stress that can arise when you get too little energy from your work and experience too many negative work aspects. Then it's time for action! This module offers you useful explanations and exercises that will help you learn to recognise your stress signals.
Contact team Student Guidance
- If stress is affecting your mental well-being, make an appointment with a student psychologist.
- If stress is an actual impedement on your study progress, please book an appointment with a student counsellor.