Coping Mechanisms for Students Experiencing Stress

As students progress through school, it is nearly inevitable to avoid encountering stress.

Stress, the bodys way of responding to any kind of demand or threat (Segal), can be caused by
countless circumstances on a daily basis. School, home, and social life are some of the major
influencers on the amount of stress a student experiences. At school, students experience large
amounts of work, with little time to complete the work. Furthermore, many students participate
in sports, allowing less time for leisurely activities and relaxation. Many students also tend to be
involved in clubs, community service, work and additional activities outside of school. Family
life also plays an important role in the amount of stress students have. All of these factors either
adds to, or diminishes some of, the stress a student endures, depending on the environment
positively or negatively affecting the student. The inability to cope with stress negatively impacts
students experiencing various stressors each day.
When the brain endures stress, a specific process takes place in response to the stimulus.
The trigger causes the hypothalamus, a part of the brain which regulates events of the body like
mood, hunger, sleep, and temperature regulation, to release a hormone to the pituitary gland. The
pituitary gland then releases a second hormone which expels hormones into the bloodstream and
then to the adrenal glands, which activates adrenaline and cortisol. From here, the adrenaline
accelerates the childs heart rate and elevates the blood pressure. Cortisol pumps up the blood
sugar level, elevating the childs muscle and memory power and boosting the pain threshold
(Pellissier). Although these effects appear to be positive, the long term effects are detrimental,
seeing as though the body is only designed to deal with these symptoms for short bursts. This
order of events is a direct result of the human bodys fight or flight stress reaction: an action
intended only for emergency life-or-death situations.

While students experience stress, not all stress negatively impacts the human body. This
is called eustress (Eustress vs Distress.). This type of stress actually benefits the human
body, providing a motivator and provide incentive to get the job done (Eustress vs Distress.).
According to the following graph, without any stress, or likewise, with too much stress,
performance will be low and unwanted health conditions will likely result (See figure 1):

Fig. 1. Stress: General Adaptation Syndrome

Too much stress is referred to as distress (Eustress vs Distress.). Ideal amounts of stress are
beneficial to the human body, and in fact, necessary for high performance. In the brain when
high stress is present, events that typically only take place for short periods of time become
prolonged, so when someone experiences high amounts of stress over time, as a chronic
condition, causes the many undesirable side effects.
While influencing mood and behavior immensely, chronic stress can affect a persons
health leading to various physical and mental illnesses. Conditions that affect people
experiencing stress are affected by the nature, number, and persistence of the stressors as well
as by the individuals biological vulnerability (Schneiderman), so each person is affected

differently. Varied amounts of stress impact people more, but the following physiological and
psychological effects are common amongst people. In the muscular and skeletal systems of the
body, Chronic stress causes the muscles in the body to be in a more or less constant state of
guardedness (Tovian). With this, one may experience migraines and tension-type headaches.
For the respiratory system, asthma attacks may occur in which the airway between the nose and
the lungs constricts (Tovian). The cardiovascular system can also be damaged due to chronic
stress, since it is coordinated in the body's stress response (Tovian). Heart rate increases,
contractions of the heart muscle are stronger, and blood pressure becomes elevated under high
levels of stress. These changes in the body increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack or
stroke or cause inflammation. The body can experience minor to major harm in various systems
throughout the body. Stress can affect the entire body, and bring upon health conditions which
will create difficulty for people in general, but mostly young students.
In terms of psychological problems, a major issue is the effect of stress on memory.
Stress can undermine the brain's ability to solve problems and challenges requiring long-term
focus and fortitude (Pellissier). And over-stress creates an issue since Hippocampal neurons
no longer work as well, neural networks get disconnected, the birth of new neurons is
inhibited, and hippocampal neurons become endangered (Pellissier). As a result of the various
issues, brains experiencing chronic stress are less able to learn and commit new material to
memory. This is a major issue for students, when learning and memorizing skills collectively
work towards a students success. In addition, chronic stress can form various issues in those
affected including diseases as severe as amnesia, sleepwalking, multiple personality, obsessivecompulsive disorders, phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder. The psychological toll stress
has on students can be severe (Bressert).

After recognizing the various health problems that can result from high levels of stress
over a long period of time, an important notion to acknowledge is the methods that one can take
to minimize current and prevent further stress. Exercising and participating in sports are one way
to reverse the effects of stress and benefit the human body. Working against the damage caused
by stress, physical activity stimulates hippocampus growth, and group exercise fosters neuron
development while promoting both stress resistance and stress resilience (Pellissier). Not
only does exercise help cope with stress, it also helps to prevent more stress. It stimulates the
brain and promotes growth and productivity, making up for the damage created by chronic stress.
Exercise, a choice incorporated into daily lives of many people, physically and mentally
enhances the body in aspects, even outside of stress relief.
Being well rested and practicing relaxation techniques is another way to cope with stress.
When feeling tired, the body is increasing stress by causing you to think irrationally(and)
disrupt your sleep (Segal). In order to fix this, improve your sleep so you feel less stressed and
more productive and emotionally balanced (Segal). In terms of relaxation techniques, the bodys
relaxation response is activated, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the fight or flight or
mobilization stress response (Segal). Yoga, meditation and deep breathing all could be utilized
to oppose the response created by stress. Relaxation and sleep are crucial to restoring the body to
a normal state. Without a clear, calm mind, functioning effectively is difficult.
Dietary choices also affect the levels of chronic stress a person experiences.
Reconsidering dietary choices is a smart, easy way to control stress. By experimenting with new
ways of eating that promote mental health, the change helps to relieve stress, but also boosts
your energy, improves your outlook, and stabilizes your mood (Segal). Foods, such as nuts, fish,
and other proteins promote such benefits. Stress, and side effects of stress, will be improved as a

result. The changes can physically and mentally strengthen students, even further than stress
relief. A healthy diet can lead to a healthier life.
Some may argue that regardless of coping mechanisms, students will still experience
stress. While this is somewhat true, coping mechanisms help in preventing further stress and
minimizing current stress, not avoiding it at all costs. Also, stress is not bad in moderation, so
eliminating all stress would actually harm a person. People can handle a comfortable amount of
stress which can actually be motivational and beneficial (Segal). Also, some claim that athletes
experience more stress due to time constraints with practice schedules. While the time constraint
may lead to stress, the sport participation itself is helpful to the body. In addition, being on a
sports team teaches time management, balancing activities with school work.
Chronic stress, the common enemy among students, is a serious issue that can negatively
affect the functioning of a child's developing brain, without the knowledge of coping
mechanisms. It can diminish students ability to learn, form new memories, and may lead to a
variety of physiological and psychological problems, as the stress remains present in the
student's life for an extended period of time. Without knowledge involving how to cope with, and
prevent, stress, a student is at a distinct disadvantage and may experience the many side effects
that accompany the issue. For the benefit of students, coping mechanisms for stress should be
readily available for students throughout their years of schooling, especially in high school and
college years. In addition, they should be advised by parents and teachers in years to come, as the
stress on students continues to increase due to the competitive nature of today's society. An
option such as study hall, to limit the amount of homework a student has by increasing the
amount of time available to a student each day, should be mandated throughout the country.
Furthermore, alternative physical education courses, such as yoga, to promote relaxation

techniques would enhance the mind and bodys abilities, would potentially help to lower the
overall levels of stress in students of all ages. Chronic stress, a seemingly common and mild
problem, has severe complications that accompany it, but can be improved with knowledge and
the will to act and change.

Works Cited
Bostrom, Marc D. The Action Curve. Stress: General Adaptation Syndrome. The
Action Curve, Apriori, Inc., 2006, http://www.aprioriathletics.com/acurve.html.
Bressert, Steve. The Impact of Stress. Psych Central, 17 May 2016,
http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-impact-of-stress/.
Eustress vs Distress. Brock University Welcome to Brock, Brock University, 2010,
https://brocku.ca/health-services/health-education/stress/eustress-distress.
Pellissier, Hank. How Stress Affects Your Child. Parenting, 4 Apr. 2016,
http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/how-stress-affects-your-child/.
Schneiderman, Neil et al. Stress and Health: : Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological
Determinants. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 2005, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc2568977/.
Segal, Jeanne et al. Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes. Recognizing the Harmful
Effects of Stress and What You Can Do About It, Oct. 2016,
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm.
Tovian, Steve et al. Stress Effects on the Body. American Psychological Association,
APA, http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx.