What is study stress?

"Stop med at slå dig selv i hovedet" Producet by DR P3

Did you recognize yourself in the video?

If so, then you are not alone. Just get out your computer or a piece of paper and write down your answer to the two following questions:

1. What was it like to watch the video "Stop hitting yourself in the head", which DR P3 has made?
2. What could be good about working with your student well-being?

Why would you write it down?

Having your thoughts in writing can make things more concrete and manageable. Often it is easier to relate to things objectively when what can be messy inside is on a piece of paper instead.

"What you are aware of, you can do something about it. What you are not aware of does something to you"

Part of having a well-being student life is thus becoming aware of what is at stake in your life.

• What are the demands on you in your everyday life? Both from yourself and from your surroundings?
• What resources do you have available to meet these requirements? Resources within yourself and outside of you?

When you become aware of some of the requirements you want to live up to, it is easier to know what resources to meet them with.

Does student well-being come by itself?

Not always, that's why we've created this page.

The problem is that we do not know what a student day in well-being is for you, but we believe and hope that you can have more student well-being if you:

1. work to define what student well-being means to you
2. work to change habits that are not good for you
3. work on finding other ways of thinking about things

Perhaps along the way, you have to acknowledge that courage may be lacking and strength may fail. Stop and wait a bit. Change takes time. And most importantly, ask for help.

You're not alone

Even though the hard work is yours, we encourage you to turn things around along the way with someone you trust. Maybe even someone who can help you push yourself a little if you get stuck.

You are also welcome to contact us at the Counselling and Study Support. We are ready to talk about study stress, or about whatever is taking up space in your life.

Remember to talk to your own doctor if you have symptoms of stress.

Listen to the doctor talk about the diagnosis of stress

Interview with Jens Søndergård, professor i general medicine at SDU, and General Practitioner

Stress is thus

"... a collection of physical and mental symptoms that the doctor uses through a thorough medical examination to diagnose stress..."

To put it differently, do you see your GP when you ought to?

Do you hear yourself saying something like:

• It's embarrassing to have stress and go to the doctor
• Everyone has stress
• My doctor doesn't want to listen to me
• I'm not sick
• I'd rather do it myself

Now see your GP in GOOD TIME!Why?

1. If you are ill, you need help.
2. A possible exemption application may require that you can document your symptoms over time. If you only go to the doctor when everything is urgent, your doctor may find it more difficult to make a good medical certificate for you.

Why should you do this exercise?

If you know how you typically react when you feel stressed or affected, and you have thought things through a little in advance, then it can be easier to react appropriately if you are in a stressful situation.

Take your time to answer the questions. Maybe it can be difficult to find a good answer, but then try to write yourself out of what makes it difficult. You may want to talk about the questions with someone you trust.

Question 1: In what situations do you find yourself feeling muddy/stressed/upset inside?

Write down on paper what you experience in terms of thoughts, feelings, bodily reactions and inappropriate behavior:

• Notice what happens when it is suddenly the paper that "owns" your study stress mud.
• Does the inner sensation become less muddy?
• Will it be easier for you to decide what is wise to do in the situation?
• What happens if you show the things on the paper to a good friend, for example?

Question 2: When will you next be in a difficult situation?

Set up a few scenarios for yourself where you imagine it will be stressful for you:

• What thoughts, feelings, bodily reactions and behaviour will you have?
• How powerful will they be on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is ultra bad?
• What do you think you will want to do in the situation?
• What could be more appropriate to do?

Learn more about stress and where to get help

• Go to the webpage for Studenterrådgivningen
• Go to your GP if you feel lige you have stress
• In the Counselling and Study Support we can also help you. Send us an e-mail at vejledning@sdu.dk explaining your situation.

• That you have an idea of how it feels for you to be stressed about your studies.
• That you have tried to look at study stress from the outside.
• That you may have gained the courage to talk to someone about your feeling of being stressed about your studies.
• That you know the signs of stress.
• That you know you need to go to the GP well in advance with your stress symptoms.