New Handbook to Help Stressed College Students

The Institute of HeartMath released its new “College De-Stress Handbook” to help college students recognize and self-regulate high stress.

Incorporating the Institute of HeartMath’s (IHM) more than 20 years of researching stress, emotions and how we learn, the methods and techniques in the book have been proven in numerous fields, clinical and independent studies, to be effective strategies for reducing stress, test anxiety, insomnia and problems stemming from digital overload, and improving relationships, time management and decision-making, according to the company.

“Today’s college students are experiencing higher education much differently than their parents’ and previous generations,” Jeff Goelitz, co-author, educational specialist and program developer for IHM said. “Students are told college can be a fun and memorable time, but today’s students are undergoing a surprising amount of stress and can benefit from resources to help them cope with stress in healthier ways.”

“The College De-Stress Handbook” takes students on an 82-page journey where they learn about the mechanics of stress and techniques to reduce it while improving health, cognitive ability, decision-making skills and natural balance. Personal stories and tips address common student issues such as problems sleeping and time management.

Goelitz and co-author Robert A. Rees, Ph.D., a former dean at the University of California, Los Angeles and former director of Education and Humanities at IHM, wrote the handbook to help students understand how stress affects learning and their mental, emotional and physical states and offer effective techniques and how-to’s for developing skills to manage the stress associated with college life.

The College De-Stress Handbook is available in paperback for $12.95 and will soon be released in e-book format for $6.95 so students can access it on computers and other electronic reading devices, according to the company. Currently it can be purchased at www.heartmath.org, but will be available via online retailers in the coming months.