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Stress and Relaxation

International Students Living in Australia

As an International student living away from home in a new country, school work, new technology, exams, studying, friends, partners and working, there is always new stresses in our lives.

How do we stay on top?

Its normal to have some level of stress in our lives, we need a little amount of stress in order to survive.

Stress is simply our response and reactions to stressors (situations) in our lives and how we handle them. What everyone needs is enough skills to cope with the amount of stresses placed upon us.

We are each very individual and cope with different stresses in different ways. One person may become stressed over something minor that another person thinks is not stressful at all.

There are warning signs that let us know if we are too stressed, that is when we need to deal with it. If you don’t deal with your stress you can become quite ill.

If your body and mind are telling you that you are stressed or under a lot of pressure, you need to listen to these signs and act to deal with it.

Some common signs of stress are:

  • Headaches
  • Feeling sick
  • Nausea
  • Indigestion
  • Irregular sleep
  • Sore muscles
  • Diarrhoea or constipation
  • Cannot concentrate
  • Skin rashes
  • Hair Loss

Some feelings that indicate stress can be:

  • Anxiety
  • Nervousness
  • Sadness
  • Tension
  • Tiredness

NOTE: If you feel any of these symptoms please don't feel ashamed or be afraid to contact a friend or a person at your College or University and talk to them (seek advice).

Here are some ideas that may be useful to cope with stress:

  1. Positive Self Talk – use your own mind to help yourself – decide how you are going to cope with the stress – remain positive
  2. Relaxation – You know what activities help to relax yourself, try to include these activities in your weekly schedule. This will prevent stress and help reduce stress you a already posses.  
  3. Meditation -  There are various ways we can meditate, CD’s, friends, classes or tapes.
  4. Exercise – Some people find exercise alleviates stress.
  5. A Balanced Lifestyle – if we can achieve a good balance in our lives this helps us cope well. We need to have a good balance between relationships, social life, spiritual needs, rest, relaxation, exercise and healthy eating.