It can sneak up in the midst of blurring numbers and piles of study guides. Suddenly, you're breathing faster, feeling panicked or flat-out wanting to quit school.

Spanish senior Amanda Gorman knows stress can add uneasiness and anxiety to a night of studying.

"I stay awake all night, I get overwhelmed. I always have so much on my mind, I can't sleep," she said.

Students have listed stress as the number one impediment to academic performance each year since at least 2000, according to the American College Health Association's assessment, which surveyed 261,035 college students between spring 2000 and fall 2005.

In the fall 2005 semester — the most recent data available — 31 percent of students said stress hindered them the most, with the flu, sleep difficulties, family concerns and relationship difficulties rounding out the top five.

John Kermiet, a health educator at the Olin Health Center, said the key to keeping stress at bay is finding an activity that allows you to forget about your troubles — for a while, at least.

"Almost all stress management is some type of escapism," Kermiet said. "You escape from the pressure and concern in your day, and it allows your body and mind to take a step back and allows your mind to rejuvenate."

Exercising, talking to friends or family, laughing and listening to music are the most popular stress-releasing activities that Kermiet hears from students. Meditation and prayer also are among the remedies.

Spanish senior Kristyn Dehne said exercise is her best bet when battling a stressful day.

"It clears your mind — I can't focus on my homework when I'm trying to run that extra mile."

But exercise doesn't work for Spanish senior Amy Burger, who said she has to be around people who relax her.

"Either calling my mom or being around my boyfriend — those are the only two things that work," she said.

No matter the activity, students must actually clear time in their schedules for these stress relievers, Kermiet said.

"What I tell students is they have to give themselves the license to do these things, not just when they are stressed out, but on a regular basis so they are not overwhelmed nearly as much," he said. "If you ask students why they don't ever exercise, they say, 'Well, I'm too busy.'

"But if a student really looks at it, you can find ways to spend time doing things that you enjoy doing."

Counseling Professor David Novicki said students who find themselves panicking about their workload must remember to put their challenges in perspective.

"A person has to expose themselves to a situation to learn they are not going to die," Novicki said. "If you get a 1.0 in a class, you are probably going to continue to live."

Yet college is often a student's first exposure to stress. Novicki said it's the struggle — a trial-and-error process of dealing with stressful situations — that teaches us what works.

"If you have the ability to learn ineffective ways of handling stress, that means you also have the ability to learn the effective way," he said.

Burger said she's learned to set aside homework and go to sleep.

"I go to bed, and in the morning it doesn't seem like such a big deal," she said. "When you have the whole day ahead of you, things seem a lot easier."

Once you've found something that works, you can use that remedy for any stressful situation, Novicki said. You will even find yourself taking on more responsibilities.

"You learn how to handle something, and you go out and try it on other things," he said. "It's a snowballing effect for most people — a good type of snowballing."

But if you feel stressed on a daily basis, it signals something needs to be eliminated from your schedule.

"Maybe you need to quit your job, or maybe you need to drop a course if (stress) consistently continues," he said.