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You can't get rid of all the stress in your life and in fact, you don't want to.
You've got to have enough stress just to be able to have "oomph" and kind-of get up
and have motivation to get up and go to class, to go to work, to take on the tasks that you need to manage every day.
But, you can have too much stress and that can become counter-productive.
And so part of what we really encourage people to do is figure out what their early warning signs are
of stress becoming counter-productive.
You are the expert on yourself. You're the one that can identify your early warning signs,
and then implement some strategies that maybe help you manage that better.
So try not to think in terms of "I won't feel any stress," but
"I'm going to know my early warning signs and the thing I can control is how I react."
We also really hope through activities and resources on campus, potentially coming to see
one of the therapists in the counseling and testing center,
that you're going to learn strategies that maybe help you be proactive -
anticipate some stressors, develop ways to kind-of buffer your own overall well-being.
As well as preventative things that might include lifestyle changes.
Like really making a committment to adding exercise to your life, stopping smoking, or simplifying things in your life.
And those are bigger projects and longer-term goals
But if you can think about stress-management as something you're doing all the time both in short and long-term ways,
Not just something you do to relax the day before a final, but something that you incorporate into your life,
You might feel better prepared to tackle some of the things that are coming your way -
both the anticipated things and the un-anticipated stressors in your life.