Stress In College Students Essay

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Stress in the Life of College Students
Introduction
Stress is a state of mental strain or discomfort brought about by adverse situations. Although every person experiences stress in a different way, it is something that is experienced by every human being throughout their life time. College students in particular experience stress regularly, and for that reason, in this paper, I will explore stress in the lives of college students. More specifically, I will explore common causes of stress, the effects that stress has on college students, and stress reduction techniques that can be employed effectively by students.
Causes of Stress in College Students
“The potential causes of stress are numerous. It may be linked to the outside factors such as the state of the world; environment in which one lives or works, or the family. It may come from one’s own irresponsible behavior, negative attitudes, or feelings or unrealistic expectation. The causes of stress are highly individual.” (David Sam Jayakumar 2013). When stress arises it can be very major or very minor, and it can be caused by a wide range of different outputs. In the life of a college student, there are undoubtedly many things to stress about both academic, and non-academic. The most prevalent of the academic stressors are related to grades, and most prevalent of the non-academic stressors are related to finances.
Academic Stressors
Academic stressors in the lives of college students can range from concerns over workload, and achieving good grades. These stressors can be internal or external, and can both be explained in terms of self-esteem, and self-efficacy.
A heavy work load is a recipe for stress in a college student. In a 2009 study by Thomas Webster of Edison Researc...

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...e job prospects. This can be explained by students wanting to hit social age norms of adulthood, and become financially independent. The stress caused by any/all of those things can have adverse physical, emotional, and behavioral effects on college students. The physical effects are vast, and can include headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, and sleep deprivation. The most dangerous emotional effect is the increased risk of depression or anxiety disorders, both of which have a range of negative effects. The most worrying behavioral effect of stress is the switch to coping mechanisms, most commonly, alcohol. Finally, a student can help to eradicate stress from their lives by implementing stress reduction techniques, the most effective of which include listening to music, exercising, venting to someone, taking deep breaths, and stepping back to look at the big picture.

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