Boost Your Emotional, Spiritual, and Physical Health: Stress Management Tips for the School Year

Embarking on another year can be invigorating and inspiring, but it can also bring about nervousness, stress, and anxiety. Oftentimes, counseling is sought after stress becomes uncomfortable, says Wanda Sevey, Director of Student Counseling at Princeton Theological Seminary. That’s why it’s important to take your mental health seriously and be proactive.

“Learning strategies ahead of time to cope with those moments when it gets more serious, more pronounced or more chronic, can be really helpful, because all of us, every day or every week have some kind of event that increases anxiety,” Sevey says. “It can also be helpful if we use those events and experiences to learn skills to have a toolkit for when we really need it.”

Sevey offers three specific pieces of advice as it relates to emotional, spiritual, and physical health:

1. When stress arises, the body responds. A person’s heart rate might increase, or their breathing may be shallow. If the stress or nervousness is ongoing and chronic, then physical symptoms, such as stomach aches, headaches, and sleeplessness, may show up. But when the body is relaxed, stress and anxiety decrease. So, the key is to incorporate activities, such as walking, dancing, or exercise to help reduce stress levels. Additionally, meditations for muscle relaxation can help release tension in the body and muscles. Deep breathing helps regulate the body and reduces heart rates.
2. Changing your thoughts is a good strategy to reduce stress and anxiety. Stress can give way to distorted thinking but when those negative thoughts are changed to more realistic thoughts, then anxiety can decrease.
3. As for spiritual well-being, it’s important not to let damaging messages penetrate the heart. One way to intervene is through self-compassion. Show yourself the same compassion and grace that God provides.

“In all these areas – mind, body, and spirit – counselors and the counseling office can help with those strategies,” Sevey says. “Students can come in and practice a few anxiety-reducing strategies in the office with us, learn about them or they can access self-help. Meeting with a trained spiritual companion or director can be a rich resource for your faith journey both now while in Seminary, and in the future, after graduation.”

Nearly 50 percent of students enrolled at Princeton Seminary have sought the guidance of Sevey and her team which includes Ryan McMillian and Alice Fadiora, who both attended seminary and are ordained in their faith traditions. Whether seeking support for challenging situations, self exploration, growth, or personal development, every student is welcome at the Student Counseling Office.

Scheduling an Appointment

The counseling office is open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Templeton, room 301. Make an appointment or receive information on counseling and spiritual companionship by accessing InsidePTS and completing the required forms for appointments. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Additional Resources

Apps like Headspace and Calm can also help with mindfulness-based stress reduction, which is one of Sevey’s specialties. It involves helping people reduce stress and anxiety and increase wellness by staying in the present moment.

When we are feeling anxious, it means our mind is out of our bodies thinking about some catastrophic future, Sevey notes. The goal is to keep the mind inside the body to think clearly. Then, more options will be available when upsetting things occur.

“Practice sitting down and focusing on your breathing,” she says. “When your mind wanders, bring your mind back to focus on your breathing, back to your body. You watch your mind and thoughts and gently bring them back without judgment. And that strengthens your ability to stay in the moment.”

For more about the Student Counseling office email wanda.sevey@ptsem.edu.