Get help from IDA for symptoms of stress
Learn more about what stress is and get help to react to the first symptoms – both physical and psychological – before they develop into something more serious.
Table of contents
What is stress?
Being busy and having stress must not be equated, but if you have been under pressure for a long time, you can physically and mentally begin to react in ways that are stress related, such as difficulty sleeping, racing thoughts, lack of appetite and overview.
Stress is the body’s natural response to being overloaded. For a limited time, short-term stress can help us perform better by sharpening our senses, which is why it can almost be a gift before an exam. But even though the short-term stress can be considered a friend, a long-term form will have serious consequences for your health in one’s daily life such as anxiety, depression and chronic diseases.
Typical stress reasons for students
A survey conducted by IDA shows that many of you struggle to balance studies with everything else, such as student work, relationships, interests and household chores. Each individual factor can yield a minor pressure, but overall it can be an art to balance your priorities and that is when the pressure can have a negative effect on your well being.
Many people experience periods where they are in a state of stress during their studies – in fact, it is an increasing trend among IDA’s student members.
Did you know?
Over half of IDA’s student members report in 2023 that they have felt stressed within the last 6 months.
The number has increased by 10% since the survey from 2022, when 41 percent of you reported that you felt stressed.
Especially in the time leading to exams and towards the end of the semester, urgent thoughts can arise – can I pass my exams? Are my skills broad enough to be attractive on the job market?
Among those of you who have felt stressed quite often or very often, one in four has sought medical help and/or other professional help or dropped one or more subjects. One in five has dropped one or more exams or considered dropping out of studies.
Typical symptoms of stress
When you experience symptoms of stress, it is your body’s way of telling you that you may need a longer break from the way or the pace you live your life right now. The body will want you to reflect on and act on your daily well-being and health.
By knowing the first, typically more severe symptoms of stress, you can nip it in the bud more quickly and change negative behavior, which will hopefully prevent long-term stress.
The symptoms of stress are most often seen as a mixture of both physical, psychological and behavioral signs. How we react to stress is very individual, but below are a number of things you can pay special attention to.
Physical signs:
Palpitations, fatigue, muscle tension, stomach ache, weakened immune system, dizziness, appetite and disturbed sleep, restlessness in the body.
Psychological signs:
Lack of energy, concentration problems, indecisiveness, irritability and memory problems.
Behavioral signs:
Isolation tendency, aggressiveness, indecisiveness and lack of commitment.
In addition to these symptoms, it is a good idea to listen to your fellow students, family and friends if they show concern for you. Because although you may be aware of the various stress symptoms, in many cases it can be difficult to recognize them when they hit you.
It is very common to suppress or even ignore both the psychological and the physical symptoms.
It may be that your circle of friends sees some behavioral symptoms in you that you are not aware of. Your surroundings only reach out to you with care and concern because they want the best for you and care about you.
Typical stress triggers for students
Finances and relevant student jobs?
Thoughts about strains on your finances and relevant student jobs are a stress-triggering factor for many. IDA’s survey on well-being, stress and loneliness from 2023 shows that students often get permanent positions through internships and student jobs. And we know that employers look for whether you have had study-relevant work and often value experience over grades. This can put enormous pressure on you to find the right student job alongside your studies. For international students there is the added pressure of paying for a exchange programme and living above your means for a period of time.
Expectations for grades and submissions
For many, grades also mean a lot, as it can influence your opportunities for further education, etc. If you struggle with structuring your study time in order to reach assignments and live up to your own (and other people’s) level, you can succumb to a greater pressure of expectation than you manage to live up to.
Government intervention
There have been many political interventions which have limited your opportunities to extend your education and affected the pressure society puts on student life. This can easily trigger stress, as one’s studies are now more time-limited and the framework for “making mistakes” has become tighter.
Other reasons
Things on the private front can also be major stress triggers for body and mind. International students often struggle with forming social networks and getting to know the cultural codes and finding a place in Denmark, so these are very relevant stress triggers.
If you feel stressed as a student, there are many factors that can have an impact on how much you can cope with in the longer term. We live in a culture of comparison in an increasingly individualized society, where the pressure to create the best possible life for ourselves becomes colossal and at times, yes – far more than we can bear.
Remember that there is no shame in needing help with your stress symptoms and acting on the fact that you cannot do the same as before – there is great strength in recognizing it and acting on the symptoms early, so that you can get the surplus again and avoid further serious symptoms.
Get help from IDA for symptoms of stress
If you experience signs of stress such as restlessness, inner turmoil, high heart rate, fatigue, irritability or insomnia in connection with your studies, please contact IDA. You should not – and are not – alone. These triggers must be taken seriously and we are happy to help with that. At IDA, we regularly receive inquiries from student members who in one way or another experience greater obstacles than they can handle on their own. The important thing is to recognize this and reach out for help before the challenges become too overwhelming.
As a student member of IDA, you have the opportunity to be referred to a free online psychologist course if you are not thriving in your studies or are experiencing stress symptoms.
Read more about it here: Free mental health offer for students or contact IDA’s Member Service directly on 33 18 48 48.
How to prevent and manage stress
There can be many reasons why you have landed on this page. Maybe you are just curious about stress and want to prevent it or maybe you are in doubt whether you are affected by stress because you feel some signals?
If you belong to the former, there are several things you can do to prevent stress.
- Free time: Spend your free time on things that make you happy. Preferably an activity where you can allow yourself to forget time and place and be in the moment, such as a hobby or time with friends.
- Exercise: Getting out of your head and using your body with weekly exercise is a good mental break in a busy everyday life where you prioritize yourself.
- Sleep: Prioritize a night’s sleep. Give your body peace by getting to bed and getting up at the same time every day, so that you create a steady routine.
- Food: Diet is our fuel and if you nourish the body well, it has even better energy to give off for your daily activities.
- Pause: Create mental breaks every day. It can be a walk, yoga, reading a book or staring into the air for 10 minutes. We are often busy with being busy, so moments when we have nothing to do but simply exist can be extremely beneficial.
If, on the other hand, you are already affected by stress symptoms, the points below may be more relevant.
- Self-awareness: As soon as you are aware that you need to make some changes, you can make a plan to get better – because if you are aware that something needs to change, you are actually already ahead. You can think about changes that you want to make, but seeking help with that is also a very good idea.
- Reach out: If you need a talk about your health or thoughts, contact your doctor, student counsellor and IDA. All of these are available to help you wherever you are. At IDA, we offer specific psychological help to students, so don´t hesitate to reach out.
- Prioritise: Identify your tasks and make a chart of which ones should be prioritized first and then set aside a realistic time estimate for each. It creates a good overview and then you reach the most important thing.
- Involve your study group: This one can be hard, but if you are in a good study group, you can talk to them about your situation. Perhaps one or more of them recognize the situation and the feelings or at least is willing to make changes to accommodate your situation. Is it possible to change something in your meeting times and deadlines – even if only for a short period of time, so that you can catch your breath again? If nothing else, it can be nice to let your fellow students know how you’re feeling. Maybe they also have some advice or tools that they use?
How to obtain sick leave due to stress as a student?
If you experience many mild or severe stress symptoms and this leads to you contemplating sick leave, a full-time or part-time sick leave may be a good idea, so that you hopefully do not end up in long-term stress. To prevent serious symptoms and long-term stress, it may be an idea to become a student on reduced hours.
In order for a sick leave to take place, it is important that you have a medical certificate from your doctor. They will also help you clarify whether you should be on full-time or part-time sick leave and perhaps also to identify the reasons why you are experiencing stress.
If you receive SU, this will be available during your sick leave – as a rule, they will not extend your granted period on the SU programme, but you can apply for a supplement due to a delay in your studies after your sick period and when the semester is over.
If you know that you are likely to be on sick leave for a longer period, and agree to not being able to go to exams during the given period or receive SU, leave can also be a solution in some cases.
The first thing you should do if you have these considerations is to contact your study advisor. Their guidance will set the plan and from here, it is the study board that makes the final decision.
Regardless, it is important that you have a medical certificate from your doctor, as the sick leave must be documented for the further process.
Related
Here you can read more related content
