Handling stress to reach success

Gloria| Aguilar | Pulse 

Faculty members from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley share ways for students to help manage stress with April being Stress Awareness Month and finals week drawing near.

Alcides Amados, assistant professor of psychiatry at UTRGV’s  School of Medicine, explained some signs of stress are individuals being “overwhelmed” and “very tense, on the edge of being very anxious.”  

  UTRGV faculty members said stress manifests itself in different ways for a variety of reasons.  

Adele Amora, a licensed counselor at UTRGV’s Counseling Center, stated stress often looks like “overthinking,”“irritability” and “constantly worrying.” 

One specific stress trait that college students should be aware of, according to Dr. Alcides Amados, is how stress reveals itself by causing students to isolate themselves from social interactions. 

Amora clarified the difference between stress and anxiety to prevent any “confusion” students may have regarding the two.

“Stress tends to resolve after the external factor resolves,” she said. “If the test is over, I can take a breath… Anxiety is a little bit more long lasting.”

Both Amados and Amora agreed there are examples of “good stress” that can be beneficial for students during finals.  Stress can be the “adrenaline” boost and motivator to get students’ studying done.

With finals coming up, Amados and Amora shared some precautions students can take before stress overwhelms them, such as taking a 5-10 minute break between tasks.

To Amados, the most beneficial precaution for students to help prevent the overwhelming tension of stress is to accept the things Vaqueros can and cannot change.

 “It’s best to focus on where I am…this is what I’ve done, and I’m going to do everything I can in this moment to be successful and not linger on the past,” Amados explained as a self-talk students can do.

Other simple tools students can use include fidget spinners, stress balls and disconnecting from their assignments to have a meal with loved ones. 

“Our friends and families might be able to offer us a new perspective on something we feel that’s been stressing us out,” said Amados.

The Learning Center at UTRGV  has created workshops to provide students with more resources and tools to thrive despite stress from upcoming finals week.

  “The goal with [all the different types of] workshops is really to help students kind of reflect on these things in terms of how they can improve those things, ” said Julio Mireles, program manager for academic coaching at The Learning Center at UTRGV.

The goal of the Learning Center’s  upcoming workshops for finals week held April 29 – May 1 is to “reduce that stress” by giving students possible solutions and strategies. 

Each faculty member advises students who feel these resources are still overwhelming, to seek assistance with a primary care doctor and psychiatrist. 

Amaro said students not available during the operating hours of the counseling center can seek further assistance with Timely Care. 

“It’s free for students and it’s a  24/7 virtual mental health care… It includes peer support, health coaching.. And of course our crisis line.” 

Timely Care is available to students with their UTRGV credentials on the web or app. 

 Students can contact the Learning center for the upcoming workshops being held at their designated campus.