Managing Student Stress: Personal Stress Patterns And Techniques

Date and Time of the entry

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Most Stressful Event Experienced

Physical Symptoms Felt

How the Event was Handled

The Fundamental Cause of the Event

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Happiness score on the scale

Current Mood

Effectiveness

Mon Oct 22nd at 07:00

Waking up early

I felt dizzy in class

I activelyanswered questions

It was caused by University schedule

6

Disappointed

9

Mon Oct 22nd at 14:00

Being hard pressed on the queue in the university food cafeteria

I felt upset

I got determined and waited patiently for my turn to be served

Failure to go to the cafeteria early enough before the queue is filled by fellow students

4

So angry because of the hunger while it took a while before reaching the serving men

4

Mon Oct 22nd at 22:00

Personal study and completion of the assignment given in class

I remained alert and focused on the positive

I got some of my colleague students to discuss the assignment

I could have looked for colleagues early and do the assignment

5

Upset because I did not finish the assignment and I have to wake up early in the morning

4

Tue Oct 23rd at 9:00

Full and over-crowded computer laboratory

I felt my time being wasted as I waited for someone to leave a computer for me

I remained calm as went through the depth of the work I was to research on

Not my fault but failure of the university to install enough computers that could accommodate all of us

6

I felt disappointed because I got the computer late which did give me enough time to research

3

Tue Oct 23rdat 15:00

Attending the class without my book to write in

I was unsettled throughout the class session

I took some foolscaps and wrote that day’s work on them

Giving out my book to someone who did not like attending classes was the cause

5

I was pissed off because I had to write the notes from the foolscaps to my book

5

Tue Oct 23rd at 19:00

Attending the medical students executive meeting held every Tuesday

Unrelaxed because I was the chairman and only 3 members turned up out of 10 members

I had to postpone the meeting because the members did meet required number

I failed to remind them early which made some of them get busy their schedule for that day

9

I was happy because I got time also to go and finish some of my staffs at the hostel

8

Wed Oct 24th at 7:00

Seeing people die during patient care session at the ICU that began at 7:00

I  felt sympathy for the dying patients and their family members

I remained focused on the purpose of the learning process

People die naturally in hospitals so it had no main cause as to why it gave stress seeing them die

7

Trying to be strong as I handle the patients in whatever ward I will be taken to

6

Wed Oct 24th at 14:00

Washing patients with bigger wounds and the groaning they made when I touched the wound

I felt scared and I was afraid to touch the wound leave alone washing

I got courage when I saw my colleagues doing it because it was the nature of the job

Not handling the wound well inflicted pain to the patients that made them groan loudly

8

Feeling happy because I was able to handle the pressure and wash the wounds even at the groaning of patients

2

Wed Oct 24th at 19:00

Cooking my own supper after leaving the hospital for patient care session

Felt tired after a tiresome day at the hospital

My friend welcomed me for supper at his place

Leaving hospital late and tired caused the stress

7

Feel devastated and tired

8

Thu Oct 25th at 7:00

Waking up early to attend a 7:00 am class

I felt dizzy in class due to uncompleted sleep

I became lively in class by responding to questions

University timetable that did not favor me

6

Dissatisfied in allocation of class at that time of the day

7

Thu Oct 25th at 10:00

Attending a CAT

I felt unprepared and scared to fail the CAT

Collected myself and encouraged myself to sit the CAT

Failure to prepare because I had not read for it the previous day

5

I feel good and excited after finishing the CAT successfully

6

Thu Oct 25th at 15:00

Missed training with university soccer team

I felt untrustworthy because I am the captain of the team

I talked to the assistant captain to organize the team

It was caused by class of time due to a class being fixed during training time

8

I feel excited because the team trained in my absence

9

Fri Oct 26th at 14:00

Being hard pushed on the line in the university food mess hall

I felt upset because people were so many on the line in front of me

I got strong-minded and waited patiently for my turn to be served

Failure to go to the mess hall early enough before the line is filled by fellow students

5

So angry because of the hunger while it took a while before reaching the serving men

6

Fri Oct 26th at 18:00

Attending the last class at 18:00 on Friday when my colleagues have left to town for a rave

I felt disappointed in the timetable to place a class at such a time of the day especially on Friday

I attended a half of the class time and followed my colleague to town

We did not complain for the class to be changed early before the semester began

7

So happy to catch up with my colleagues at the restaurant in town

8

Fri Oct 26th at 22:00

Walking back to the university from town

Felt upset as we walked back to school

Because we were a group of us, we resorted to walk

We used every penny we had forgetting how we will arrived at school

4

I felt stupid and awkward as I walked to school

4

Sat Oct 27th at 08:00

Washing clothes I had put on for two weeks

I felt tired and full of Friday’s hung over

I only washed a couple of clothes to use the followed week

Failure to wash for two weeks that accumulated a bunch clothes

3

Felt positive and focused

5

Sat Oct 27th at 16:00

Watching EPL in the school TV room

I felt unsatisfied because I got a back seat and I could not see the screen clearly

I vowed to watch because it was my team playing

I failed to go the tv room earlier before it got full

7

I was happy even though I watched from behind, we won the match

8

Fri Oct 27th at 18:00

An accidental clash with the fellow student as I lifted my chair out of the tv room

I was very sorry for the guy but he seem non understanding and we almost confronted each other physically

I humbled myself because I was the one on the wrong. I asked the guy for forgiveness

Failure to observe behind me and also texting while walking

2

I feel sorry for the student I hit because he bled profusely

2

Sun Oct 28th at 07:00

Rushing to church service early because I was a member of the praise and worship team

I was feeling dizzy and tired due to late sleep and tiresome Saturday

I encouraged myself because I was the one leading worship at the church on that day

I failed to iron my clothes and sleep early on Saturday to give me humble time on Sunday morning

4

I felt motivated when I found three quarter of the praise and worship members had arrived at the church that morning

6

Sun Oct 28th at 14:00

Attending a group discussion

I felt tired I wanted time to go and rest,

I was lively and awake

I had a busy schedule during the week

5

Felt happy at completion

8

Fri Oct 28th at 21:00

Late to go to the coil room for cooking my supper

Felt tired after a tiresome Saturday

My friend welcomed me for supper at his place

I did not set an alarm to wake me up

7

Feel devastated

8

Part I: Stress Journal

Filling the stress journal, it came to my notice that some stresses which were most frequently occurring were unpleasant to deal with. The stress was attending a class set at 07:00 am which forced me to wake up early so as to get front seat and be on time. The stress was unpleasant to deal with because I severally got disturbed by sleep during the lesson (Quick, Nelson& Quick, 2014). Another stress include disorder in mess hall and being hard-pressed on the queue before I was served with my food. I can’t tell the exact cause of the classes being placed at 07:00 but I think the stress for me was waking up early in the morning which became difficult. I think waking up late past 07:00 am was as a result of sleeping late. I think I need to improve on setting alarm and be obedient to it when it rings (Tomey, 2009). The cause of stress in the mess hall was as a result of getting to the mess hall late. I could have sent my friend to serve the food for me if I knew I was going to be late. The causes of the stress on waking up late is sleeping late (Redwood & Pollak, 2016). To make the stress of waking up early in the morning for the class less stressful is sleeping early when I know that the followed day I will be having a morning class. For the mess hall situation, I will ensure that I send someone or I have an alternative way of getting lunch or supper.

When I was under pressure due to stress I felt devastated and pissed off. At this time I just wanted to be alone and deal with my stress by myself (Beck et al., 2017). Like the incident of washing patients wounds scared me to my roots and it affected my appetite for meat. The stress and pressure reduced my effectiveness for instance when I hit my fellow student with the chair in the television room (Macan et al., 2010), it made me feel sorry but the student could not understand the situation. The stress level at which I was happiest and effective is when I missed the training with my team but they trained on their own with the assistant captain. The team challenged me and I had to go and work hard, practice on my own at my own free time to be at per with the team (Beck et al., 2017).

From my analysis, my stressors can be arranged as follows beginning with the most stressful; accidental clash at the television room, washing patients with bigger wounds, full and over-crowded mess hall, walking back to school at night after taking alcohol and finishing the transport money, washing clothes on Saturday, attending class without my book, attending the church early morning on Sunday, attending the classes in morning at 07:00, and lastly failing to cook supper in the coil room due to being late.

The action plan for dealing with the stressors is as outlined as follows. Accidental clash at the television room-always be keen before lifting the chair and not texting while walking (Tomey, 2009). Washing patients with bigger wounds-compose myself and do it because that is the reality of my job. Full and over-crowded mess hall, and attending the church early morning on Sunday -always I will keep time as long as I don’t have a class at the time of lunch. Attending class without my book-I will always measure the capability of anyone I give my book (Cox, 2013).

References

Beck, D. L., Hackett, M. B., Srivastava, R., McKim, E., & Rockwell, B. (2017). Perceived level and sources of stress in university professional schools. Journal of Nursing Education, 36(4), 180-186.

Cox, T. (2013). Stress research and stress management: Putting theory to work (Vol. 61). Sudbury: Hse Books.

Macan, T. H., Shahani, C., Dipboye, R. L., & Phillips, A. P. (2010). College students’ time management: Correlations with academic performance and stress. Journal of educational psychology, 82(4), 760.

Quick, J. C., Nelson, D. L., & Quick, J. D. (2014). Stress and challenge at the top: The paradox of the successful executive (Vol. 14). John Wiley & Sons Incorporated.

Redwood, S. K., & Pollak, M. H. (2016). Student-led stress management program for first-year medical students. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 19(1), 42-46.

Tomey, A. M. (2009). Nursing management and leadership. USA: Mosby Elsevier.