Students
Photo by Reyer Box
Doomscrollen
and short fuses
Photo by Reyer Box
Suffering from pimples and short temper? Do you sleep poorly and spend endless hours on your phone? Stress hormones affect your body in all kinds of ways. “Remember to take enough time to bounce back.”
January 22 at 5:00 PM.
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By Marit Bonne
January 22 at 5:00 PM.
Last modified on January 22, 2024
at 5:00 PM.
By Marit Bonne
January 22 at 17:00 PM.
Last modified on januari 22, 2024
at 17:00 PM.
Marit Bonne
One week before the exam
Still seven days to go for that crucial exam. You really have to get to work now. If you don’t get this, it means an extra semester and a few thousand euros on top of your student debt.
Students nowadays suffer more from stress than before, says clinical developmental psychologist Bertus Jeronimus. This is due to, for example, the rise of social media and the threat of student debt, but they are also more sensitive to stress because they grew up during the pandemic. ‘At the same time, in times of extra stress, they eliminate exactly those things that help them relax. Sports, for example, or social contacts.’
After a whole day at the University Library, you drag yourself home. As you walk to your bike, you read a message from a friend: ‘Would you like to meet up tonight?’ Yes, it makes sense, but time? Anything but.
But, he emphasizes: that is a form of self-sabotage. This will only make your stress symptoms worse.
‘The human body is programmed to remain in balance, that is called homeostasis’, says neuroscientist Cato Drion. ‘But there are constant threats around us that want to disrupt our balance; We call the reaction to that stress.’ And that stress manifests itself in all different ways: mentally and physically.
Once home you actually have no energy to provide food. The only thing you feel like having is a pizza. Get it out of the freezer then!
‘When you are stressed, your body craves quick sugars and fats,’ says Drion. ‘This means you quickly have energy available to respond to a threat, but it is also… comfort food; this provides relaxation through the brain’s reward system.’
Only: if you experience stress for a long time, that tasty craving will defeat its purpose; you are then overeating. “This can lead to changes in metabolism and ultimately changes in weight,” she says.
It’s four in the morning and you’re lying – again – staring at your ceiling. The stress makes your body very alert, but researchers do not yet know how exactly this leads to poorer sleep.
The culprit is cortisol. This substance that is made in the adrenal glands plays a role in an infinite number of different body processes, Drion knows. For example, it breaks down proteins, increases your metabolism and inhibits inflammatory responses, all to help the body deal with stress. But this sometimes also has undesirable effects.
Four days before the exam
You’re going like crazy. Every morning you stand early in front of the revolving doors of the University Library to get a seat. You have a pretty good feeling about the exam, after all, you have already learned most of it.
When we talk about stress, it is often in a negative sense, say both Jeronimus and Drion. But it can also work to your advantage. A little – but not too much – stress does wonders for your hippocampus, your memory center, and helps you better absorb lecture material.
And it has another striking consequence, says Jeronimus. The number of injuries and accidents decreases during exam periods because you are more alert to potential danger. But this is also partly because students exercise less and spend less time outside, he emphasizes.
Two days before the exam
Well, let’s take a break anyway. You open Instagram and see cat memes, smiling faces from a living room filled with beer crates, and the Eurosonic Noorderslag program. Then you’re shocked. Has it been two hours yet?
The ‘doomscrolling’ you just did is, just like cigarettes or coffee, a coping mechanism, says Jeronimus. ‘The distraction helps you deal with stress, but doomscrolling increases the stress response.’ There are better ways, he says: sleep well, engage in hobbies and sports, or be with people.
In the bathroom you wonder if everything is going to be okay. Will you even make it to the block? You feel a witch’s ring of pimples on your chin. If you also hear your roommate banging on the door, you no longer have it. Annoyed, you snap that you’re almost done.
The latter – eating together or other social appointments – works best if you are already sensitive to stress, says Jeronimus.
These types of reactions also have everything to do with stress. Your body will produce more sebum, which will clog your pores more quickly. And because you are constantly alert, stimuli throw you off balance more quickly, Drion explains.
5 minutes before the exam
It’s D-Day. You have been working towards this moment for the entire block. Surrounded by the bright orange walls in Aletta, you read your notes for the last time, waiting for the gates to open. You look at the clock: two minutes left. Your heart is pounding, your hands are sweating and your mouth is getting dry. Here we go.
The substance that rushes through your body in the Aletta Jacobshal is an old acquaintance: adrenaline. Made by the adrenal gland, the substance reaches all kinds of places in the body through your blood where a short-term stress response can be initiated: the fight or flight-response.
After the exam
Phew, it’s over. After a week without exam stress, your symptoms will disappear like snow in the sun. Clear skin, a balanced diet and quality time with your roommate, instead of snapping at her. You are a whole new person.
Indeed, the stress is over. But, Drion and Jeronimus warn, make sure you have enough time to bounce back. ‘The stressor, for example an exam, can be compared to a fire in which your body’s stress response occurs like the fire brigade,’ says Drion. ‘In this analogy, which dates from 1952, cortisol can limit the water damage caused by extinguishing the fire, but it is important that the cortisol levels also drop quickly.’
It is therefore best to try to buffer your stress during the following exam weeks. Jeronimus already mentioned it: sports and social occasions work very well for this. But, he says, research also shows that positive self-affirmations work well. ‘Telling yourself in front of the mirror every day that you are just going to pass that exam helps you de-stress,’ says Jeronimus.
‘Good sleep is also extremely important,’ adds Drion: so don’t block until the wee hours. And to have more control over your stress in the future, Jeronimus says: ‘Also try to avoid procrastination and spread out your learning a bit more.’
Stress in students
Door Enrique Aguilar
- Yasmeen, media studies: doomscrollen
‘When I’m stressed about my studies, I go sogging. I scroll endlessly on my phone without anything coming to my mind, because I am so aware that I should actually be doing something else. Sometimes I don’t even leave the house because I don’t think I have time, even though I then do nothing all day. Then I don’t go to the gym or meet up with friends.’
- Gretta, life science and technology: arguing with friends
‘During exam time I definitely argue with friends more often. I know that I am stressed about my studies and that it makes me touchy, but then things still go wrong. And that’s a bad thing, because when I’m fussing with friends, I can’t concentrate well. It’s better if I’m open about the stress I feel, that helps a bit.’
- Eduard, physics and mathematics: bad food
‘If I don’t have enough time for everything during exam periods, the things I have to do for my studies and work take priority. Then I don’t cook or eat, and I smoke more. I also feel like I’m less hungry, which is good since I don’t have time to cook either.’
- Chantal, science education and communication: poor sleep
‘I worry a lot in general, but in stressful periods such as during exam time it gets worse. Then I am physically and mentally very restless and therefore I sleep poorly, which affects everything. I find it very frustrating because it makes me touchy and react more quickly to people.’
- Maria, psychology: pimples
‘When I’m stressed, I get all kinds of physical symptoms. Then I get pimples or dry spots on my skin, and the nerves make me lose my appetite. The worst part is that my immune system is greatly weakened. That’s why just about every bad cold or other illness I’ve had in the past year has coincided with a stressful period.’
2024-01-22 16:25:03
#Doom #scrolling #short #fuses #stress #body
