Study Skills (Skl 001)
Sameh Saadeldin Ahmed
Associate Professor of Environmental Eng.
Civil Engineering Department
Engineering College
Almajma’ah University
smohamed1@ksu.edu.sa
http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/SaMeH
2010/2011
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Stress management
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
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Introduction
What is stress?
Study and stress
Stress strategies
Avoidance tactics
The best laid plans
Stress and time
Conclusion
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2.1 Introduction
• “filling in questionnaires about stress” is a further
potential source of stress.
• Stress due to University and college life
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leaving school
giving up a job
deciding to return to education
coming back from travelling
living away from home
• This combination of factors means you are
likely to encounter stress.
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2.2 What is stress?
• Stress is a set of physical, psychological, and
emotional responses to the world around us.
• It is how we react to situations like:
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being late,
being caught in a traffic jam,
having to confront someone about something,
right through to more extreme circumstances such as
bereavement,
– break up of relationships,
– the loss of a job.
• What matters is that you can recognize the signs of stress in yourself
and that you can deal effectively with that stress.
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2.2.1 Tell-tale signs
• We all react differently, but there are a few
symptoms that are often associated with stress:
– Headaches, back ache, and stomach cramps (not all at
once, hopefully)
– Troubled sleeping patterns; either not being able to
sleep, or not wanting to wake up in the mornings
– Being irritable and impatient with other people
– Feeling constantly tired even if you have had plenty of
sleep
– Not wanting to eat or eating everything you can get
your hands on
– Starting several tasks, but not completing any
– Not wanting to do anything at all
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2.2.2 It’s not all bad
• You might think that stress is an entirely bad
thing. Actually it is a natural and, indeed, an
essential part of life.
• Without a stress response we could not function.
• Distress, when we suffer from overload and
cannot function properly, is the destructive side of
stress.
• Eustress is the positive side of stress, excitement,
delight, and enthusiasm.
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2.2.3 Find your own level
Our responses to stress are different. We do
not all…:
 eat the same amount of food,
 need the same amount of sleep, or
 lead identical lives
Some people work much better under a certain
amount of pressure, e.g., an approaching deadline,
while others work much better by planning ahead
and avoiding pressure.
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2.3 Stress and study
• Studying brings its own particular set of stresses:
 not being able to get a textbook ,
 not being able to find a tutor when you really want to
speak to him can leave you feeling very fraught,
 examination preparation
 project deadlines
 dealing with the consequences if you do fail an exam
 get behind with assignments
 having doubts about the course you have chosen and
what you will do afterwards..
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2.4 Stress strategies
1. Avoiding potential unpleasant stress in the first
place by good planning.
 several assignments to be handed in,
 revision to do on top of attending job interviews,
 giving a presentation when you do not like public
speaking, and so on.
2. Unfortunately, there are always situations that
you can’t foresee:
 a problem in a relationship, a crisis at work, and an
unexpected drop on your finances.
Since not all stress can be avoided, you also need to develop
techniques for coping with stress.
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2.5 Avoidance tactics
• Good time management, is one of the most useful
strategies you can develop to avoid stress..
• A quick reminder of some of the things to do.
 Plan your time carefully.
 Prioritize tasks.
 Try to minimize sources of distraction and interruption.
 Above all, be realistic.
• Remember, most of us underestimate how long it will take
to research, write, check details, etc.
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2.7 Stress and time
• Feeling that you do not have enough time to do all
the things you are supposed to do is one of the
most commonly reported causes of stress.
• This is often true when you are studying, where
you have to balance the time spent on several
assignments with the time spent doing other
works.
• Feeling more in control of time will certainly help
you deal with stress.
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2.7.1 Avoiding stress
• If you can’t avoid unpleasant stress, there are
ways of getting through it.
Eating good food without too much tea and
coffee
allowing yourself enough time to sleep properly
Physical exercise is also really useful, even
only regular walks
Swimming or joining a gym, or
getting involved in any sport that you already
enjoy.
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2.7.2 Just relax
If you are angry
“just relax”
Giving yourself time to:
• be quiet and calm and
• to concentrate on your breathing for a few minutes
really can take away that
you feel you
could hit him
To relax:
• listening to music
• reading a non-academic book
• going out somewhere or just being with friends
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2.7.3 A problem shared is…
• A problem shared is a problem halved
• Wherever you are studying, there will be
some kind of support system near you:
 student support
 student welfare
 student advice
 student counselor
 personal counselor
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2.7.4 Stress at work
Part-time work while you are studying!!
Q: Do you think it is good or bad? How far would
it affect your stress?
Learning to manage stress and even turn it to your
advantage while you are a student will
undoubtedly be an incredibly helpful, transferable
skill to take with you into your long-term career.
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2.8 Conclusion
• Remind yourself that stress is not all bad
• You can reduce unpleasant stress by:
– getting to grips early on in your course with all
the relevant study skills, such as:
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reading effectively,
getting the most from lectures,
knowing where and how to get information, and
being able to communicate in that on paper and in
groups
– Most importantly, reducing unpleasant stress
will affect how much you enjoy yourself!
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Thanks for your attention
Get ready…..
Your first quiz will be next week
Chapter 1
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