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.
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.
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
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.
Studies have shown that many college students are not able to handle the stress while in school, which hinders the ability for the brain to act in a normal way (Shahrokh and Hales, 2003). If a person is unable to deal with the stress that one is being faced with, it will have negative consequences in terms of causing several psychological disorders (Canby et al., 2014). Entering post-secondary education is a completely new environment for students, as it can be tough for many to adjust to the new surroundings. There are many factors that cause stress when students enter college, as it can include having the ability to deal with lower marks (Struthers et al., 2000) and having to create a new social life. Once and if a social life is established, it can cause more stress among students because it can lead into peer pressure that results in risky behavior. In particular, peer pressure can cause alcoholism or drug abuse (Seiffge-Krenke, 1990) or it can also cause unprotected sex. Not only does stress revolve around peer-pressure, but it can also be caused by headaches and lack of energy. If a student is constantly staying up late to finish assignments or to study, it can cause headaches from the lack of sleep; thus causing stress. With all the given factors, it can be hard to overcome these external factors which can ultimately lead to stress among
Driscoll, Emily. “Stress in College: What Causes it and How to Combat it.” Online posting. 31
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
Leaving home for the first time and going away for school can be very difficult for some people. In many cases for college freshmen this is their first time being away from their home and parents. Many times they get home sick and want to isolate themselves. They have to get into a new routine of going to school, and change can be very difficult. It is definitely hard to get into the swing of college. They have to navigate through classes in a new format while living away from all the comforts of parents. A college student’s life usually consists of attending classes, long hours of studying, working at a job (sometimes), and having a social life. Some students work at a job or study harder than others, but they are all trying to get degrees so maybe one day they will have meaningful and significant lives. It is a constant struggle for everyone who is trying desperately to make him or herself into a success. And every college student wants to be involved with something in order to further their education, or just have fun. There are lots of new opportunities out there. The struggle consists of demands on time, financial pressures, parental pressure and conflicts, interpersonal conflicts, managing freedom, peer and academic pressure and the transitional period to a new academic environment (Stanford University 4). All of these factors combined can cause emotional disturbances and one of the most common is stress.
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)
Gregory.J.R, Frazer.H. (1986). An Academic Stress Scale: Identification and Rated Importance Of Academic Stressors, 59, 2-6.
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.