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.
In the essay “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, Zinsser speaks about the pressures and anxiety that plague college students, all the while wishing that they had “a chance to savor each segment of their education as an experience in itself and not as a grim preparation for the next step.” Referring to the 1979 generation of college students as “panicky to succeed”, he lists four of the following stressors for college students.
It’s one of the many inevitable parts of life. Whether it’s busting out a research paper for Psychology at the last minute, expecting your first child to be born, or making sure you’re up in time to catch the Saturday morning cartoons, it’s clearly evident that everyone goes through stress. The real question is, how is stress handled in our society? A person is defined by how they handle the stressors in their lives and how they overcome stressful moments. This paper will explore the aspects of stress management and how it can help others in their times of stress.
Glenn Altschuler addresses the difficulties and conundrums associated with entering college in his article “Adapting to College Life in an Era of Heightened Stress” He presents the experience of Kate Wilkinson and her feeling of unpreparedness for college. Glenn brings together statistical evidence to show how students are more stressed today than any time in the past. Glenn presents many solutions to decrease stress and uses Henry David Thoreau’s short story “Walden” as a basis of how stressed students should come back to a state of relaxation by meditating on what really matters in life.
...emotional demands of college. A student may lose balance when weighed down by the pressures of academics, social life, and work. These students need more help from their college to help themselves overcome the emotional demands. The schools must have programs that helps students become more prepared for college and after graduation. These students must think independently, act more independently, and navigate the world more independently. The college must find ways to help students help motivate themselves. Be able to succeed in life releases stress.
Author Melissa Campbell stated, “All jobs, regardless of what they are, involve some level of stress”. Some may say that the stress a student endures throughout college, can prepare them for what the future holds, but in actuality stress is stress. No matter what form can take a tole on a student. Students will be stressed for many years to come in their future. Whether it be their first job interview, marriage, or welcoming a new member to the family. The possible four years at college need to be as stress free as possible. Their needs to be some types of fun involved even though they are students first. Lastly, “Jobs produce stress not just in terms of the actual work itself but also in terms of dealing with your co-workers”(Cooper). College is suppose to be about meeting new people, forming a social life. There could be enough possible stress with roommates or professors, there is no need for stress from co-workers or management making the college experience less
4 Giancola, J.K., Grawitch, M.J., and Borchert, D. (2009). Dealing with the stress of college: A
According to the College Health website, “No one is immune from stress, but those entering the ivory towers of college are particularly vulnerable to it.” Attending college for the first time gave me a feeling of displacement, nonetheless, I maintained my sense of priority, I am here to learn, here to excel, and here to focus on my objective.
National Health Ministries (2006). Stress & The College Student. The University of Illinois at Chicago. http://www.uic.edu/depts/wellctr/docs/Stress%20and%20the%20College%20Student.pdf
Stress has been shown to have negative effects on college students and their learning. Academic burnout is a substantial problem associated with academic performance and is brought on by stress. A study explained by Shu-Hui Lin and Yun-Chen Huang (2014) is based on two scales, the “Undergraduate Life Stress Scale” and “Learning Burnout Scale” that were used as research tools to explore the life stress among college students and whether or not the results can be used as predictors of academic burnout. This study is intended to specifically identify life stresses associated with academic burnout and to
Everyone deals with stress at some point in his or her life. Most people deal with it daily. As defined in the book called Principles and Labs for Fitness and Wellness, stress is, “The mental, emotional, and physiological response of the body to any situation that is new, threatening, frightening, or exciting” (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2012). This stress is caused by a stressor, which is also known as “a stress-causing event” (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2012). Stressors can take all different forms, from moving to a new town, having a baby, or even writing a paper (Boyd, Wood, & Wood, 2011). One major stressor in life can be going to college. If not coped with properly, these stressors can leave a person with too much stress that could end up harming them mentally and physically, such as developing an illness (Boyd, Wood, & Wood, 2011). There are several ways to cope with stress. Some healthy ways to cope with stress would be practicing emotion-focused coping, building time-management techniques, and practicing meditation.
Driscoll, E. (2013) Stress in College: What Causes it and How to Combat it, FOX Business, 73(12)
Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid. These feeling can also lead to you having a stomachache or a headache. When you're stressed you may not feel like sleeping or eating. You also may feel cranky or have trouble paying attention at school and remembering things. Having a little stress can be good sometimes, but when you’re in college that is defiantly something you want to keep under control. Another reason for stress is the financial strain a person can experience when trying to progress in school. Learning to budget money is one of the most realistic lessons of attending college. This is one more way a student may feel vulnerable. Financial pressure is the number one reason why students drop out. A college student may become distracted with work in order to live comfo...
Gregory.J.R, Frazer.H. (1986). An Academic Stress Scale: Identification and Rated Importance Of Academic Stressors, 59, 2-6.
College is a time of extreme stress due to societal and parental pressures. College students have expectations they have to live up to in order to fulfill and satisfy the needs of both their parents and society. Stress is expressed through a variety of symptoms that can be hazardous to student’s physical and mental health. With such high expectations to do well during college, students may become sleep deprived, which impairs mental capacity, but sleep deprivation is only one of a vast array of symptoms. Stress is present in all aspects of life and there are multiple causes of stress, especially, during the college period which may present itself through many symptoms, but with stress, there are also various coping methods to help students deal with it.
A Student 's life on University campus revolves around going to classes, studying in the library or in their own room, getting involved in co-curricular activities made compulsory by the university and sometimes hanging out with their friends to have fun after an exam. For many students who live in students accommodation being away from their family will require them to be independent and some students need quite some time to get adjusted to their new environment or they will be homesick or stressed. They need to practice housekeeping, to manage a budget, and to find their way around new place. Stress is also a part of every student’s daily life. It can be very damaging for students when stress becomes excessive. It can harm student 's health, happiness, work performance, relationships and personal development.