Not coping well with stress.

[J_Bella]

Hey guys, was hoping people could share some helpful tips with me. Generally I don't feel depressed or anxious, but I've noticed a trend that whenever I get stressed (generally from uni) my emotions tend to peak. I'm in my final semester of nursing before graduating, and it's been particularly bad this semester I'm thinking from the stress of uni work and career and job prospects (interviews and what not). I've taken a number of reliable online screening assessments which have been saying I've got moderate levels of anxiety and stress, and should probably see a counselor, but I'm not comfortable with that since the last two times I've been (both years ago) were not particularly good experiences.

I've been trying my best with some coping mechanisms like speaking to people I trust (although I'm not feeling I'm getting enough support from them), exercising (which I feel I'm putting too much into as an outlet to stress), and trying to stay on top of my assignments. I've been having a hard time concentrating and staying focused on my work however, have a lot of problems falling asleep and staying asleep, still feel tired during the day, and the smallest things set me off in tears. I've also noticed I've become much more obsessive over things I was only a little worried about before uni. 

I've also been trying to minimize the amount of time pressure I put on myself, like balancing out social plans with time to study a bit better, but I do have a habit of making check lists of the things I need to get done and I have a suspicion this is making me particularly stressed. One big stressor is actually time limits, and I feel like no matter how much time management I implement, because I can't concentrate it all goes out of whack and makes me feel guilty not having done the work. 

I know I should probably see someone, but would people have some good coping mechanisms to put in place to see if I can sort myself out better? Thanks

[Snoman]

Hi J_Bella,

Despite the many years since I went to uni, I only recently realised the importance of sleep.  Sleep is the time that our brain needs to reconcile the day's events, to lodge information into long term memory and to process the day's emotions.

I think my body works best on at least 7 hours sleep per night, but for about 18 months I averaged just under 6.  I believe that contributed to my mental health taking a nose dive.

One of the common symptoms of depression is broken sleep.  As part of my recovery process, I am trying to claw back my missing sleep hours and this is working well.

I remember not caring too much about sleep when I was at uni.  It took a back seat when my workload went up.  And so did breakfast.  I now recognise that both sleep and breakfast help my concentration.  To use an analogy, sometimes you feel like you are too busy chopping down trees to stop and sharpen the axe.  Sleep and breakfast is that all important sharpening of the axe.

I prefer not to use sleeping pills, so I have herbal tea at night.  I wasn't a great fan of herbal tea before, but some blends with camomile can be quite nice and have a great effect on my sleep quality.

While I am not qualified to assess if you have depression or anxiety.  You may want to speak to your GP about your concerns.  There are links on this page to help you find a GP in your area with an interest in mental health.

My experience with psychologists has been very good.  Reading other people's posts in these forums, I can see that it is important to find someone who is a good fit for you. That may mean trying a couple out.

Good luck.  Let us know if you have any success.

Snoman

[J_Bella]

Hey Snoman, 

Thank you so much for responding! Unfortunately I do try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night and I do have breakfast everyday - a lesson I learnt when I went for my HSC year. 

I have sat down with my boyfriend and had a really good talk, and having one person really understand what's been going on has helped me a lot. 

Still getting downers whenever I think too much or excessively worry, but I've found listening to music via earplugs work for me, almost like it's pushing aside negative thoughts. 

Managed to get by much more positively the last two days, so hopefully it'll last or I'll be able to quickly pick myself back up again if things go bad. 

Thank you!

[geoff]

dear J_Bella, welcome to BB.

It appears that you do have anxiety, which is part of depression, but I am concerned that you are showing signs of having OCD, which you can comment on, but also depression maybe creeping in.

If you click under 'get support' at the top of this page there will be a list of doctors who are aligned to BB and who will be able to suggest some psych's for you to contact, but I agree you have to have someone that you can relate to and who also understand what you are struggling with.

It must be very nervous being in your last semester before becoming a qualified nurse, but there will be so much opportunity for you in so many areas, but let's try and help you with these concerns.

I used to fall asleep and stop my thinking and worry, as I have OCD, but it was my depression which consumed me 24/7 by listening to music at night time, and when I did wake up the radio or cd would still be playing, sure there were plenty of times I cried myself to sleep, but it did it's job and made me sleep.

Now I take a heavy dose of anti-epileptic medication so this makes me sleep, but I don't wish that upon ypu or anybody.

Try and find someone from the 'get support' at the top, and hope that you can get back to us. L Geoff. x