Dealing with stress at the University... What a topic!

How to deal with stress at the University?

Well… you just can get used to it! Ha!

(However for some students to enjoy life at the university is easy)

Actually you always will have tons of things to do. There is just no time!

Teachers (not you, dear Mr. Carroza, of course) think that their subject is the only one you study!

The University should not be the only thing on your life… there has to be room for a boyfriend, family, friends. That’s the healthy way, right?

We should have more time to have fun, to go out, to jog, to cook something nice, to enjoy life!… I really do not understand the purpose. Why does the University want students at the edge of insanity?

This system sometimes turns out toxic… sometimes I feel I am stupid, or that I am not smart enough, and it is all due to lack of time to study and to have fun. And all these feelings cause lack of self-esteem and my marks… well… my marks… I am not happy, in fact.

I really do not know how to deal with stress. Today I had such a terrible day. Sad things happened to me and I had a fight with my boyfriend… I am alone right now; my mother came to see me because when she called me I was crying. I feel I am going to explode…

I have been like this for weeks. I have been just “holding on”. I want to cry all day long, I feel I am going to fail, and that maybe I am good enough, not as I thought.

It has not been a nice week at all because my father is dyeing, my mom is really sad, I feel stupid, I argued with my boyfriend and I am done!

So, I believe I am not the right person to talk about stress in an objective way…

"The younger the better!" Maybe not...

“There are critical periods when certain matters must be taught and learnt”

Most people believe that the best stage of life to learn new skills is early childhood. For a long time it was strongly believed that the human brain loses neurons with age.

A nerve cell is the most important brain cell. This is able to transmit electrical information from one cell to another. These cells establish a network which is in charge of memory, emotions, pain, perception and functional directions. When they suffer damage because of a trauma or a neurodegenerative condition, they are replaced by glial cells.

No critical period for learning has yet been found for humans. Scientists prefer to call this: sensitive periods. It is true that children (12 months children for example) have a “gift” to learn languages. But this does not mean that adults have less neurons or they are less capable to learn.

If children are surrounded by different cultures, they can learn other languages very easily. And actually kids would be able to sound like native speakers. All this due to their faculty to distinguish different sounds. We must not forget either that their neuronal plasticity process is just beginning. This is, in fact, what makes easier to integrate new data and create more synaptic bounds.

But...

It was probed that learning is not age dependent. Adults also have the change to learn. Actually new neurons are produced every day in the hippocampus (neuronal segment important in emotions). Neurons, unless you have an accident, do not die. They shrink!

It is very important to tell this to retired adults. To tell them they are not a machine that is just being turned off. They have a chance to learn new languages, to start a curse, to learn how to play the piano and to continue with their lives!   

A healthy life style. Is it possible? How?

Actually, a healthy life style is possible.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, a healthy life style requires time and money.

It is recommended to jog at least 30 minutes three times a week in order to improve the cardiovascular system and oxygen perfusion in tissues. This work out should be monitored by a professional, so you can really make sure you are doing it well (without hurting your joints or muscles).

 

A good health also counts up on with a good diet, for example, you should include on your meals: vegetables, fruits, proteins, carbohydrates (in low proportions) and fibers…

 

So now, the problems to achieve it.

1. To jog you need time. In Chile, specifically in Santiago, we work from 8 o’clock in the morning until 6.30 in the afternoon. And we have one hour to have lunch. When you arrive home you are tired, you have to look after the kids and you should do the laundry, and yeah… the dining room is a bit messy and the dishes have been on the sink for two days! And… and… there is just no time at all if you have a house to maintain!

 

2. Now…If you live in Maipú or in Puente Alto and you work down town and you do not have a car, you have to take a bus, and the journey never takes less than 60 minutes (because of the traffic), so you can feel the stress and that sucks!

3. Salaries are not always good enough for the biggest part of the population. We must consider that healthy food is expensive, at least in Santiago, so people will not spend money on this. Instead junky food is cheaper. So, lunch consist on French fries, a hot dog or maybe a sandwich.

 

4. Sea food is good, however it is expensive, even though Chile is an exporting country of it (maybe the most important one in South America.) It is really important to include this group of nutrients on our meals at least 2 times a week as a way to improve our cells function.   

It is sad to realize that food that is really good for people’s health is out of their reach. For them, and for most of us, to pay the bills comes first.