Some common signs are

• Lack of motivation
• Sleeplessness or oversleeping
• Moodiness – anger, irritability, depression
• Headaches
• Muscle aches and pains
• Heart palpitations
• Stomach upsets
• High blood pressure
• Concentration or memory difficulties
• Feeling overwhelmed or anxious
• Using alcohol or other substances to cope
• Increased eating, drinking or nervous
  habits

Stress is experienced when the demands of a situation eg study or work pressures, financial problems, relationship difficulties, etc) outweigh your perceived capacity to meet those demands. Risk factors which interact and contribute to experiencing stress include:

• biological factors, e.g .genes, poor health, or some medications;
• social factors, e.g. lack of social support
• psychological factors, e.g. low self-esteem, negative beliefs and thinking style, unhelpful coping strategies; and
• person-environment fit, e.g. a creative person working in a job that is very structured and systematic may be more prone to experiencing stress

Quick fixes

• Breathe deeply
• Relax your muscles by stretching or standing/sitting up straight
• Step back from what you're doing and/or what’s stressing you
• Laugh

Examine the stressful situation

• If the stress is due to factors in the environment that can be changed, be assertive and change them 

Lifestyle changes

• Exercise regularly
• Have low or no intake of alcohol and caffeine
• Engage in enjoyable activities
• Have adequate sleep
• Eat a healthy diet
• Include relaxation and meditation exercises in your daily routine

Talking

• Helps release negative feelings

Cognitive strategies

• Recognise and challenge unhelpful thoughts (e.g. "I can’t cope", "I can’t handle this")
• Find evidence for when you have coped in the past
• Identify alternate more helpful (but realistic) thoughts to what’s going for you
• Using milder wording can help neutralise your experience (e.g. "I don’t like traffic. It makes me annoyed," is a lot milder than "I hate traffic! It makes me so angry!")

Managing Stress - Brainsmart - BBC

Stress is all too natural. But here are some tips for keeping it under control.

Managing Stress - Brainsmart - BBC

When stress is affecting your studies, work, home life or relationships, psychological assistance should be considered. Free counselling services are offered through Student Wellbeing and alternatively, your doctor (General Practictioner) can provide you with a referral to a private psychologist in the community. For more information on this process, visit the Better Access Initiative.

The following links have relaxation audio clips that can help you de-stress.

• Relaxation recordings (University of Western Sydney) 
• Pause (Oxygen Youth Health) 
• Relax (Dartmouth) 

The key symptoms that last for at least two weeks include one or both of:

• Feelings of sadness, emptiness or lowered mood that lasts for most of the day, nearly every day
• Loss of interest in activities that were previously enjoyable, like going out, seeing friends, or pursuing interests and hobbies

 Other symptoms can include

• Significant changes in appetite and/or weight in the absence of dieting
• Difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping
• Lethargy
• Restlessness
• Fatigue and loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness, helplessness or hopelessness, or excessive guilt
• Trouble concentrating or making decisions
• Decreased interest in sex
• Thoughts of suicide or a feeling that life is not worth living

For some people, stressful life events might trigger depression. For others, there is no obvious cause. However, depression is never caused by only one thing – it is thought that a combination of factors must interact for a person to experience depression. These include biological factors (such as genetics, hormones, and brain chemicals) and psychological factors (such as thinking patterns and stress).

• Making lifestyle changes, including regular exercise, having low or no intake of alcohol and caffeine, engaging in enjoyable activities, improving time-management skills, and having adequate sleep
• Understanding how you experience depression personally
• Actively challenging the symptoms of depression to improve coping strategies
• Using support networks – friends, family, treating doctor, or community service
• Mindfulness techniques that help redirect your attention to the present moment, rather than focusing on the past

If low mood persists for over two weeks and is affecting your studies and personal life, psychological assistance should be considered. Student Wellbeing offers free counselling sessions to UniSC students. Alternatively, your doctor (General Practitioner) can provide you with a referral to a private psychologist in the community.

For more information on this process, visit Better Access Initiative.

Websites

• beyondblue — Telephone: 1300 224 636
• headspace — Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation, providing assistance for individuals aged 12-25
• Lifeline — A 24-hour counselling, suicide prevention and mental health support service. Telephone: 131 114
• sane — Provides information on depression and other disorders. Telephone: 1800 187 263
• Reach Out — Online youth mental health service that provides factsheets, tools, apps, community forums, stories, videos and more.

Explore more community resources.

Although people’s experience of anxiety may differ, a common feature is a feeling of stress or worry that is excessive or uncontrollable. Other symptoms may include:

• difficulty concentrating
• shallow breathing
• restlessness
• avoidance behaviour
• rapid heartbeat
• trembling or shaking
• feeling lightheaded or faint
• numbness or tingling sensations
• upset stomach or nausea
• sweating
• physical tension
• sleep disturbance

Although the causes of anxiety are not clearly understood, there are many factors that may increase your chance of developing anxiety. These include:

• Biological factors, such as genetic predispositions or poor physical health.
• Psychological factors, including low self-esteem, unhelpful coping strategies (eg avoidance), or direct or indirect messages from others that the world is threatening or that worry is useful.
• Social-environmental factors, such as marriage breakdowns, study deadlines, financial hardship, or past experiences of traumatic events.

Although anxiety is a normal reaction to a stressful situation, it can become severe and cause significant distress or interfere with daily living. If this happens frequently or persists over a long period of time, it is important to see a mental health practitioner to be assessed for an anxiety disorder. There are many different forms of anxiety disorders including generalised anxiety disorder, specific phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• Making lifestyle changes, eg regular exercise, low or no intake of alcohol and caffeine, engaging in enjoyable activities, improving time-management and sleep routines.
• Understanding how you experience anxiety personally.
• Actively challenging the symptoms of anxiety to improve coping strategies.
• Using support networks – friends, family, treating doctor, or community service.
• Mindfulness techniques that help redirect your attention to the present moment.
• Meditation and relaxation techniques.

When anxiety is affecting your everyday living activities, psychological assistance should be considered. Free counselling services are offered through Student Wellbeing to all UniSC students. Alternatively, your doctor (General Practitioner) can provide you with a referral to a private psychologist in the community. Visit the Australian Government, Department of Health, Better access to mental health care: fact sheet for patients for more information.

• beyondblue — Telephone: 1300 224 636
• headspace — Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation, providing assistance for individuals aged 12–25
• Lifeline — A 24-hour counselling, suicide prevention and mental health support service Telephone: 131 114
• sane — Provides information on depression and other disorders Telephone: 1800 187 263
• Reach Out — Online youth mental health service that provides fact sheets, tools, apps, community forums, stories, videos etc.

Explore more community resources.