STRESS AND ITS IMPLICATION AS IT APPEARS TO A VETERINARY STUDENTS AND WORKERS

Stress means different things to different people. In a simple term, it is best to consider stress as something that involves the interaction of the individual (student) with the environment. Dr. Hans Selye, of the University of Montereal, Canada and a leading authority on the subject of stress, describes it as the non-specific response of the body to any demand upon it. When it is excessive, it can threaten somebody’s ability to cope with the environment. Stress to a veterinary student is therefore the general term applied to the pressures he/she feels in school and his/her adaptive responses.
                            EFFECTS OF STRESS ON STUDENTS AND STUDIES
Professional experts have reported that one fifth (1/5) of students are disturbed, maladjusted and mentally disturbed. However, many students manage to go about their duties under emotional stress and in a state of perpetual disturbance. The level of stress one can tolerate is one’s stress threshold.
                                                 SYMPTOMS OF STRESS
(1) Students become nervous and develop chronic worry.
(2) Easily provoked to anger and unable to relax
(3) Uncooperative and use alcohol and cigarettes excessively
(4) Physical disorders (internal body changes to cope with stress)- upset stomach. Ulcers, coronary heart diseases; kidney disorders, high blood pressure etc.
It is therefore important that stress be kept at a level that is low enough for most people to tolerate without disorders. Stress can be temporary or long term depending on its cause, the duration and the strength of the recovery powers. Problems occur especially when stress is maintained for a long period of time because the body is prevented from rebuilding its ability to cope with stress. However, if stress is temporary and mild, most people can recover rather quickly.
                                                    CAUSES OF STRESS
Factors that tend to cause stress are known as stressors. Generally, stressors combine to pressurize a student in a way until stress develops. These stress include:-
(1) Physical environmental stressors- Light, Noise, Temperature, polluted air.
(2) Studying overload- quantitative (number of pages of study) and qualitative (how standardized the note is).
(3) Time pressures- Study hours in lecture rooms and laboratories.
(4) Sense of failure in examinations.
(5) Lack of relaxation
(6) Poor relationship with peers, subordinates, lecturers etc.
(7) Frustration- a result of a drive or motivation being blocked, preventing one   from meeting a desired goal.
                                          STRESS AND PERFORMANCE
Stressors evoke different people. Some are better able to cope than others. They may adapt their behavior in such a way that meets the stressor head-on. Some others cannot adapt. Females for instance tend to react better physiologically than males while under stress and studies have shown that females have a longer life expectancy than men. At certain ages, compared to females, males are four-times  more likely to die of coronary heart disease, five-times more likely to die from alcohol related diseases, seven-times more likely to commit suicide etc. The differences are really not due to the biological/sex differences but arise because of the differences in the roles played by members of the two sexes and also free-will shedding of tears by the females. But as more women move into the recognized male lead roles, they are subjected to the same stressors and the same health effects. A stress-performance model shows the relationship between stress and job performance.
(1) When there is no stress, challenges are absent performance tends to be low.
(2) As stress increases, performance tends to increase also because stress assists a person call up resources to meet academic studies requirements.
(3) Stress reaches a plateau correlating approximately with a student’s top performance capability. Additional stress produces no more improvement.
(4) If stress is too great, performance begins to decline as stress interferes with it. (5) If stress continues to a breaking point, performance becomes zero, the student has broken down.
                                           CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS
(1) Subjective effects- Anxiety, boredom, depression, frustration, loss of temper, nervousness.
(2) Behavioural effects-Drug abuse, emotional outbursts, excess drinking or smoking and impulsive behavior.
(3) Cognitive effects- Inability to remember, poor concentration, short attention span, memory blocks.
(4) Physiological effects-Increased in blood glucose levels, increase pulse and blood pressure, dilatation of pupils.
                               
                                            MANAGEMENT OF STRESS
(1) Relaxation:- Done in a quiet environment with closed eyes and assuming a comfortable position.
(2) Transcendental Meditation:- For gaining deep physical relaxation and improved mental clarity involving quiet, concentrated inner thought to rest the body physically and emotionally. It results in reduced pulse, reduced O2 consumption and decreased blood pressure.
(3) Counseling:- It has to do with exchange of ideas between two people. It could be performed by trained experts or by friends. The functions include advising, rehabilitation, reassurance and creating confidence in one’s self, release emotional tension and it tends to clarify thinking. It also gives one a reorientation in life about goals and values.
(4) Listening to soft, soothing music, preferably instrumentals.. It is done with relaxation. It tends to soothe the nerves.