Staying Healthy Under Stress
MIT is a stressful place. A lot of this stress is positive: so many things to learn and do, so little time. Sometimes, though, the stress becomes too much, causing anxiety, depression, homesickness, physical illness, sleep and eating disorders, and more.
A lot of stress is self-induced: you may feel you have to prove something to your parents, your school, or the world in general. Some students are especially sensitive to peer pressure or family expectations.
Whatever the source and nature of stress, the healthy choice is to manage and relieve stress, not deny and avoid it. Here are just a few suggestions for staying healthy while achieving academic success at MIT:
Recognize Signs of Stress
How do you know if you’re overwhelmed and suffering negative stress? Some common symptoms are:
- Inability to sleep or sleeping too much.
- "Reverse sleep habit": staying up all night, sleeping during the day.
- Poor or non-existent time management skills.
- Missing classes and appointments.
- Feeling isolated. No time for friends.
- Poor eating habits. Weight gain or loss.
- Neglecting exercise or your favorite activity.
- Excessive involvement in extracurricular activities or job: these can be used as ways to avoid schoolwork.
- Feelings of apathy, depression, and homesickness.
Alleviate Stress
If you've identified that you have one or more symptoms of stress, the next steps are to work on easing them. Some tips to get started:
- Try to get enough sleep. A good night's rest can do wonders for your state of mind; it will even help you study better. If you have trouble getting to sleep, follow links on MedlinePlus, recommended by MIT Medical, for excellent suggestions on changing your environment and behavior. For example, try to establish a regular sleep schedule: once you do, your body will get tired around that time every day.
- Try to eat well. Your body needs to be nourished by real food—fruits, vegetables, protein, good carbs, and just plain water. Energy bars and drinks are not enough. Try to sit down with friends for at least one real meal a day. Good conversation and a change of scenery go a long way toward relieving the stress of sitting at a computer or working in a lab. Check out Go Ask Alice, recommended by MIT Medical, for nutrition information specifically geared to college students.
- Get some exercise. Vigorous physical activity can help you burn off your stress by giving you something else to focus on and relieving tension in your muscles. Endorphins are real: they make you feel better! The Z-Center and DAPER have a host of exercise facilities and classes available to you.
- Learn some stress management techniques. Consider meditation, yoga, tai chi, diaphragmatic breathing or other relaxation techniques. Both Physical Education and MIT Medical offer stress relief and wellness classes.
- Visit MIT Medical's Community Wellness site. You can download relaxation audiofiles from MIT Medical's online Multimedia Library; there's even a phone number to call for a quick relaxation technique—617-253-CALM (2256). The site offers additional tips and techniques for reducing stress, and the Library page includes a list of some of the books and videos available at the Community Wellness office in E23-205.
- Join a support group. MIT Medical hosts several groups each semester, based on shared interests or characteristics.
People to Talk to
If you feel overwhelmed, sad, depressed, or unable to deal with your situation, your first response may be to keep it to yourself. You may think that you should be able to deal with this on your own, since you've always handled your problems by yourself in the past. Your culture may also discourage you from sharing problems with anyone outside your family.
However, asking for help is actually a sign of maturity—knowing yourself well enough to know your limits. And there are many people at MIT whose primary purpose is to help you.
- Go first to your advisor. He or she can offer a friendly ear and will keep confidential anything you say, sharing it only with people who need to know. Your advisor may be able to help you directly; if not, s/he can certainly direct you toward people and offices who can.
- In your dorm you have a MedLINK, a graduate resident tutor, a Residential Life Associate, and housemasters. All of these people are trained and eager to help you succeed at MIT. Each FSILG has a Resident Advisor, an adult resident who will be glad to listen to you and make appropriate referrals. Chaplains are not only spiritual advisors but can help you work through difficulties in any part of your life.
- Also, deans in Student Support Services and clinicians in MIT Medical's Mental Health and Counseling Service are available to help you with any issues that you may be experiencing, academic or otherwise. Check out their Student Questions.
