Coping with Student Stress

The year is flying by! And it’s the time of the year that college and university students are burying themselves into books to prepare for weeks of final exams. Although freedom awaits for the summer, this is often a stressful time for students as, for most cases, they have to review a whole semester’s work in preparation for their final tests of the year. As stress starts to accumulate, it has a toll on the body, and let’s not forget to mention the countless sitting and poor posture in front of their books.

A lot of students like to isolate themselves as they study; shut out the rest of the world and put everything on hold until exams are done. But did you know that this is a very important time to be mindful of your health. Stress can come in many forms, whether it’s the ugly postures you keep yourself in after the countless hours of sitting down, or the mental stress that comes with trying to go over as much information as you can. This is often a time of anxiety and pressure for a lot of students as well, and because of all the time needed to study, time is taken away from exercising and preparing/eating a healthy meal. All of these stressors can have a huge impact on your body, especially your spine and nervous system. The negative outcome of this is that it can actually affect your focus and your performance as you study and write your exams. Here are some things to look out for to know your stress is impacting your spine and nervous system:

• You have a hard time focusing on your work so every 15 minutes at best you find yourself distracted by other things
• It’s hard to sit still, as sitting for long periods leads to certain discomforts for your body. It’s also hard to find a comfortable position to sit in.
• Stress leads to a difficulty with sleep, either finding it uncomfortable or unable to fall asleep at night.
• Headaches are often a sign of accumulated stress.
• After studying periods, you find your body is sore from the prolonged sitting. Most of the discomfort accumulates in your neck and low back from assuming poor postures while studying.
• You are experiencing a great deal of anxiety and nervousness while studying.

If you find that any of these have become common while you’re studying, NOW is a great time to go and see your Chiropractor. It’s easy to shut out the rest of the world as you focus on your work, but your health should not be put aside in order to get more study time. These stressors will not only affect your immediate performance, but are harmful as they accumulate and cause change in your spine and nervous system. Your Mississauga Chiropractors are here to help you deal with the changes that stress invokes on your body, and to make sure you’re in great physical and mental shape for your exams. They’ll also give you a healthy word of encouragement too! Don’t wait and see your Chiropractor today! If you’d like to speak with us or book an appointment to see us, contact your Chiropractor at (905)821-4951.