Connect with Yourself and Others to Cope with Distress by Jill Bowers on June 20, 2015 Feel overwhelmed with career decisions, your academics, relationship issues, and or family stress? Know that you are not alone. In fact, research has shown that during the transition to adulthood individuals report experiencing increased anxiety and stressful life events, including relationship issues, financial struggles, or other challenges. 1, 2, 3 The majority of college students report feeling overwhelmed (87%), exhausted (82%), and over half (54%) have said they feel overwhelmed with anxiety.3 We are constantly told how stress is bad for us. It is true that stress hormones affect the brain, memory in particular. 4,5 If we allow it, distress, or negative stress, can lead to poor mental and physical health outcomes, such as sleep quality, decreased decision-making abilities, and increased anxiety or depression. In these ways, stress can influence you...