Now that the war is underway in Iraq, many SCSU students may feel stressed out about the terror that is happening to the people who are putting their lives on the line.
To help students through this tragic time, the SCSU Counseling Center is offering short workshops this week on coping strategies for dealing with the additional anxiety of the war.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, the center will be presenting sessions on coping with war stress. The group will meet Monday and Tuesday at noon in the Mississippi Room in Atwood Memorial Center and Wednesday and Friday at noon in the Sauk Room in Atwood.
Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Sauk Room of Atwood, Jayne Lokken and Rose Stark from the Counseling Center will facilitate a discussion for people with family and/or loved ones being deployed for military duty. It will be open to the campus community and depending on further interest from attendees, Lokken and Stark will extend the discussion group to following weeks.
"This group is not intended to be a debate of war, rather it is intended to provide an opportunity for discussion of emotional reactions to the war and coping strategies for participants," said Lokken, assistant professor for the Counseling Center.
International students are also concerned about the war situation and their loved ones in other countries.
"Many international students may be concerned about the safety of their loved ones back home, they may be concerned about how Americans react to their presence in this country, as well as having many of the same reactions as anyone would to a war," Lokken said. "For survivors of past wars or ongoing conflicts and terrorism, this may bring up painful memories and reactions."
Lokken also mentioned that the center continues to offer the Cultural Transitions Group for international students. This group is confidential and has an informal discussion format. Its purpose is to provide a welcoming and safe place for international students to discuss their concerns. The group meets Wednesdays at noon in Stewart Hall 103.
'Terror stress'
The term "terror stress" is related to situational stress.
Situational stress is transitory in nature and is caused by loss of stability or security due to an external event. Therefore, many coping strategies are aimed at those factors that are within the individual's control rather than by focusing on circumstances beyond the person's control.
"People may have very different responses to stress of any sort," Lokken said.
The stress of being at war with Iraq, increased concern about the safety of ourselves and others may overwhelm students who are already facing the normal stressors of college life. The stress response may be delayed and may come out as increased irritability, short temperedness, unusual moodiness, or even a general feeling of tension or sadness which the individual does not connect to anything specific.
Lokken suggested that when managing "terror stress," it is best to reflect on past successful coping strategies and to focus on your strengths. An effective stress management plan will include how to function on a daily basis as well as how to respond to moments of extremely high stress. For immediate anxiety, slow, deep breathing for a period of time will help calm a person down. Other techniques include progressive muscle relaxation or listening to calming music.
"One of the main factors in managing heightened stress or anxiety is to maintain meaningful connections with friends and loved ones. It is also important to set small, manageable goals and establish or maintain a daily routine," Lokken said. "Be honest, be sensitive, be caring, be understanding, be tolerant of differing points of view. This is not an easy time for anyone regardless of his/her position on the war."
Warning signs
Stress can affect a person emotionally, cognitively, physically and behaviorally. Some signs of difficulty coping with the Iraq situation include the following:
Emotional: heightened anxiety or fear, irritability or restlessness, feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, feelings of anger or rage, "survivor guilt," or feelings of self-blame that one escaped a tragedy. Re-experiencing of past traumatic events may include intrusive thoughts or images of the event, distressing dreams or nightmares, flashbacks about the event, or distress when exposed to events that remind one of the trauma.
Cognitive: difficulty concentrating, feelings confused or distracted, slower thought processes than normal, memory problems.
Physical: headaches, nausea or upset stomach, exaggerated startle response (tendency to startle easily at loud noises), fatigue or feeling slowed down.
Behavioral: withdrawal, social isolation, avoidance of activities or places that remind one of traumatic events, insomnia, strong need to talk about the event, read accounts about the event.
"If symptoms last more than a few days, you may want to consult with Student Health Services about medication," Lokken said.
The center is available to any SCSU student and will continue to offer three hours of crisis/emergency time each day to facilitate students accessing help immediately.
For more helpful tips for coping with traumatic events and managing stress and anxiety, visit the SCSU Counseling Center at http://www.stcloudstate.edu/~counsel/.
Other Stress Management Tips:
- Structure your time and keep busy; maintain normal routines
- Don't label yourself as "crazy;" remind yourself that you are having normal reactions
- Talk with people: your family, friends, co-workers
- Don't numb yourself with alcohol or drugs
- Spend some time with others
- Give yourself permission to feel rotten and tell others you feel that way
- Keep a journal; this is especially helpful to occupy sleepless hours
- Do things that you especially enjoy
- Don't make any major life changes or decisions for awhile
- Do make as many daily decisions as possible to reassert your sense of control
- Get plenty of rest
- Eat well-balanced and regular meals, even if you don't feel like it
- Don't fight recurring thoughts, images, flashbacks or dreams - they will decrease with time.
- Help co-workers by asking how they are doing and sharing your feelings about the incident.
