SPOTTING THE SIGNS OF STRESS WHILST STUDYING AT SEA

Posted on 15 May 2017 by Nick Chubb

By the very nature of the profession, seafaring can be stressful. Long hours, a lot of responsibility, and months spent in a confined environment with many different nationalities. Studying for qualifications and exams can compound all of this, being aware of and able to manage stress is key, not just to your professional and academic success, but most importantly to your wellbeing and health.

Stress is the physiological response to adverse or demanding circumstances, it causes the body to enter a “fight or flight” mode and release a cocktail of hormones including adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine to prepare for action. It’s worth pointing out at this point that stress isn’t necessarily bad – those adverse or demanding circumstances could be a sinking ship or a rescue operation. Stress keeps us alive in dangerous situations and is an incredibly useful and effective mechanism to force us to act when we have to.

Problems arise when stress stops being a temporary reaction to a situation and starts becoming a constant part of our lives; either as a response to trauma or when you’re under pressure for a long period of time; for example when studying for an exam for 12 weeks at the same time as working 12 hours a day.

SPOT THE SIGNS

To know when stress has stopped being helpful and do something about it, we have to learn to spot the signs. Bad stress needs to be dealt with quickly or it can have long term effects on your physical and mental health. Spotting the signs of stress in yourself and others is key to dealing with it. There are some common symptoms, the NHS has a comprehensive guide on dealing with stress but we’ve outlined some of the main symptoms below:

Emotional symptoms:

• feeling overwhelmed
• irritable and ‘wound up’
• anxious or fearful
• lacking in self-esteem

Mental symptoms:

• racing thoughts
• constant worrying
• difficulty concentrating
• difficulty making decisions

Physical symptoms:

• headaches
• muscle tension or pain
• dizziness
• sleep problems
• feeling tired all the time
• eating too much or too little

Behaviours:

• drinking or smoking more
• snapping at people
• things or people you are having problems with

MANAGING STRESS

If any of these symptoms resonate with you, you may be suffering from stress brought on by work, study, or your personal life. It’s important that you recognise it and tackle it rather than try and work through it.

• Talk – Find someone you trust to talk to, whether that’s another crew member, or where possible family or friends, and explain to them how you’re feeling. Even if they don’t offer any practical help or solutions, just talking to another human being can help you to feel better. If you don’t feel like you can talk to anyone you can use a service like Big White Wall to anonymously express your thoughts and feelings and get support from people who know what you’re going through.
• Exercise – Exercise is an incredibly effective way of managing stress. Hitting the gym regularly, or going for a jog if you can get ashore will go a long way to helping you both mentally and physically. Exercise not only helps clear cortisol and other stress-related hormones but it also helps you sleep and releases endorphins which improve your mood.
• Do – Often a major cause of stress is procrastination and a mounting to-do list. Breaking down large tasks into lots of small ones and setting clear goals that you can achieve quickly will help you feel like you’re achieving something and start to fix the root cause.

Although it may seem to help, eating badly and smoking or drinking more during stressful times will actually hinder your ability to cope and will damage your health in long run. Have a balanced diet wherever you have control over your food and try to avoid cigarettes and alcohol when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Outside of friends, family, and colleagues, there are plenty of places you can turn to for help. For study or education related advice or guidance contact us by email or call 0207 654 7050. If you need practical advice or information tailored to seafarers you can contact the Seafarers’ Advice and Information Line (SAIL) by phone on 0800 160 1842, email, or on their website. SAIL offer free advice and guidance on debt, housing, benefits and much more.

If you ever feel like you can’t cope, need urgent help, or are having suicidal thoughts click here for Mind’s Urgent Help tool or call Samaritans on 116 123.