Cindy Ngo

Health Education 44 Online

Professor Silva

17 May 2019

Project 3

Stress related to anxiety can be expected for many individuals when they know they are

to be tested on a subject that determines their knowledge. Stress can be either beneficial or

destructive to the individual. Distress, or stress that is harmful, can linger for long periods of

time and become a health risk to individuals who are unable to develop a coping strategy. In this

case, a freshman named Katya has developed anxiety related to stress due to her upcoming test

and wish to succeed for her scholarship. Therefore coping strategies as simple as breathing

techniques should be taught to Katya to decrease her anxiety and help her focus on studying.

According to Donna Womble, the first strategy to decrease anxiety is to, “practice deep

breathing exercises for a set amount of time” or until Katya feels decreased levels of anxiety,

ability to focus on studying, or ability to think clearly (123). In a research study performed by

Barbara Morgan, college students were reported to have decreased levels of stress when

experiencing with “stress management modalities such as yoga, mindfulness hiking and equine-

assisted activities” (Morgan). Activities such as 45 minutes of stress-reduction positions in yoga,

mindful hiking along a wooded trail with focus on breathing and senses, and equine-assisted

activities with donkeys and horses were helpful in refocusing minds of college students. The

reasoning behind decreased level of stress was due to stress management strategies that students

had developed for themselves when faced with stress. The research was supported with a control

group and an independent group that was given situations to cope with stress.
 Katya’s story is very comparable to my first year as a college student. As a new student

that was not well adjusted to the demanding professors in college and drive to succeed, I was

constantly battling time. Time that was reserved for myself but that had to be sacrificed to

maintain my grades, work and make money and care for family. In my opinion, stress is stress no

matter how big a person tries to compare it to others. Stress is not measurable but is more of a

feeling that a person can explain but no other individual can feel the exact level of stress that is

portrayed. What I learned as a student was to manage my time wisely but do not sacrifice time

for yourself because it will only make you inhumane. Not only will you start feeling miserable

and begin showing signs of inability to sleep or eat, it will cause you to decline in performance. I

devoted 10 minutes of my time everyday to myself while I was studying. That time was used to

deep breathe and clear my mind in order to create a list and follow through. It was more of an

organization strategy that would refocus my mind and have things be done at a quicker pace. It

isn’t easy being a college student but finding ways to cope with stress is what a college student

survive.

The feeling of stress is due to the body recognizing a task that requires a response.

Unmanaged, stress can be harsh on the body and affect “medical, psychological and cognitive

functioning” (Morgan). Early success in stress management techniques is what will help for

future stressors in life. In Katya’s situation, if she were to take any of my recommendations she

could lower her anxiety and perform better for her test. In the future, she would tackle stressors

with a more confident manner and would be more successful in eliminating stress.

REFERENCES
Morgan, B. M. (2017). Stress Management for College Students: An Experiential Multi-Modal

Approach. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 12(3), 276–288. https://doi-

org.ezp.pasadena.edu/10.1080/15401383.2016.1245642

Varcarolis, E. M. (2011). Manual of psychiatric nursing care planning. St. Louis, MO:

Saunders Elsevier.

Womble, D. M., & Kincheloe, C. A. (2015). Introductory mental health nursing.

Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.