The Effects Of Lowering Stress On College Students

College is a stressful time in a young adult’s life; independence is gained, courses become more challenging, and living in a new environment can all trigger spikes in stress levels and anxiety . Animal companionship may help reduce levels of stress in the short-run, but over time, will the love and support of an animal help an individual succeed, or become another aspect of life demanding their attention?

Although is difficult to decide what really causes stress, there are three key strategies that students can use to manage stress levels. Some of these strategies are basic and easy. Something as simple as having a schedule is an effective strategy to reduce stress. Every type of college student is vulnerable to stress. Still, people often debate whether stress is manageable or not. Those who can understand how to manage their work-life balance will have fewer risks to suffer from stress and stress related health issues.

The topic I chose for the informative research paper is how stress affects first year college students. I chose this topic specifically because I am a first-year student and can relate to this subject very easily. Having personal experience with how stressful being a student can be, I thought it would be beneficial for myself, as well as others, to discover the most significant factors that affect students the most (i.e. finances, time management, studying, academic pressure for a high GPA).

College is something you should not have to stress about. It is just continuing to a higher level of education, and later pursuing your dream job. At least that is what most people think, until it comes down to applying for colleges. It costs to apply for college, and when you get into college, you have to pay for a meal plan, your dorm room, textbooks, and personal belongings. You also have to worry about your tuition and student loans. All of this costs quite a bit, and most people do not know how to use their money wisely and they end up getting there self into a lot of debt.

There are 3 phases of stress adaptation which consist of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. The alarm stage is when you have an increase in your heart rate and feel like you are in shock, the resistance stage is when your blood pressure remains high and you become fully engaged, and the exhaustion stage is when someone has a high amount of stress that results in exhaustion. As a college student, I have experienced just about each one of these stress adaptation stages. As a college student, I have experienced a lot of the exhaustion stage because certain classes are more stressful than others leaving me exhausted. I have experienced the alarm and resistance stage when I have forgotten about an assignment or test that was due that day and I did not know what I was going to do to be able to finish it.

If so, you are not alone. Many college students live through their college years at this heightened state of anxiety known as stress. Stress is inevitable and may feel impossible to articulate as stress levels vary between individuals. There are many variables that contribute to the ongoing battle against stress in college students. According to the American Institute of Stress, stress is defined as a “physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension.” For college students in particular, stress is “a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize” (Daily Life Stress, 2014). These demands include things like stress from school work, interpersonal / intrapersonal relationships, environmental, and economic stress. A nationwide survey of undergraduate students conducted by The American College Health Association shows that 40.8% of college students experienced a level of stress that is above average. Furthermore, 84.3% of college students felt overwhelmed by everything they had to do within a period of the last 12 months.

Having considered the seriousness of stress, there are many solutions that must take place in order to allow students to feel relieved from the issue. One solution that a university in North Carolina has taken is to promote social networking. Beth Howard from the U.S. News reported that Wake Forest University aims to have successful students, minus all of the inessential stress. The quad at Wake Forest University allows students to enjoy each student’s company and ease their mind from school, according to Beth Howard. Activities that students can partake in at Wake Forest University’s quad are Frisbee, football, reading magazines, and engaging in music, as stated by Beth Howard. In addition to the fun activities, the quad also offers a

Stress is something that everyone has to deal with. However, as unique as each person is, so is their response to stress. This case study, entitled: Exploring the Effect of Stress on Mood, Self-Esteem, and Daily Habits with Psychology Graduate Students, was performed due to the lack of quantitative data on the subject of the effects of stress on college students. The researchers stated their hypothesis in two parts. They are: “(1) daily habits, self-esteem, and mood will significantly correlate with stress and (2) daily habits, self-esteem, and mood are significant unique predictors of stress” (McKinzie, Altamura, Burgoon, & Bishop, 2006. pg. 441). The collection of quantitative data concerning the effects of stress could help produce outcomes that can limit or stop the stress more so than qualitative data due to the fact qualitative data would be opinions and therefore could not be applied to a larger group of people. “College students, regardless of year in school, often deal with pressures related to finding a job or a potential life partner” (Ross, Niebling, & Heckert, 1999. pg. 313).

College is a major adjustment for many students coming out of high school. From being fixed to the school grounds during specific times, regulated on what food to eat, curfews on when to be home, and constant assignment reminders from teachers. To living without parents and having an undemanding schedule that is influenced by the student. Identifying negative stress in one’s life is imperative according to a Health Professions Education literature review relating stress and quality of life. Interpersonal, academic, and diet and sleep are all sources of negative stress in college students.

This week was very stressful and I am glad that it is coming to an end. Most of the stress is geared around my classes and grades as we start to get our first grades in Introduction to Student Affairs. This week was also very busy at my assistantships as we started the lunch and learn program for the year. I have also made it a priority to focus on reflecting this week and using the questions from last week’s journal.

Stress not only affects the work performance and grades in the classroom of a college student, it also affects their personal life too. With stress, people usually have too much pressure. They are overloaded with whatever is pressuring them, it brings them down and eventually over runs them. This frequently occurs with the lives of college students, especially if they have many assignments due. Thankfully, there are many ways to relieve and/or reduce stress levels. Three main ways to relieve stress levels are to form time management skills, to practice good sleeping habits, and to exercise regularly.

The sensitivity of the senses is dull. Mental functions like the ability to learn, remember, and concentrate are affected by insomnia. The performance level of the student in school drops.

College life can be extremely stressful, especially for freshmen. However, it’s not just freshman that can be can be affected by stress, no one on earth is immune to stress. Stress is the body’s way of reacting to physical demand around it. Stress occurs when the bodies tension levels rise, exceeding one’s tension level causing the person to feel stressed and overloaded. Stress can be caused by many things, and college students have been known to be more susceptible to stress; especially in their first year. Often times, first-year students struggle with managing all the new responsibilities they have to take on. They often struggle with the stress that comes along with being independent academically and financially. As easy as it is to quickly become stressed, it’s also just as easy to manage stress. A student could manage stress by ensuring that they’re not overloaded by managing their time well, taking time out of their day to relax, and making sure that they have good, solid, emotional support.

Stress plays a large role in a college student’s daily life with the abundance of tasks and responsibilities that they must take on. These stressors can lead to numerous risky behaviors which can affect the health of college students. Likewise, stress is one of the perils to academic performance (Pettit & DeBarr, 2011). Caffeine usage has become prevalent among college students where 98% of participants in a study by Norton, Lazev, & Sullivan (2011) consumed caffeine before. Caffeinated drinks, especially energy drinks have alarmed health professionals since there is a lack of regulation and overconsumption which can lead to major consequences such as hospitalization and possibly death (Pettit & DeBarr, 2011). Many college students consume

Self-compassion by itself has its own components towards oneself. One of those components that caught my eyes is “a balanced awareness of one’s emotion the ability to face (rather than avoid) painful thoughts and feelings, but without exaggeration, drama or self-pity” (Sharma & Davidson, 2015). When it comes to the health and well-being of college students it is important to have some sort of way to let out everything that begins to bottle up inside. This can affect their attitude towards school in a negative way. According to Sirois (2014), “Self-compassion is an adaptive quality that may promote effective self-regulation and reduce the stress” (p. 129). Once students become stressful about their assignment overload, they begin to procrastinate. Procrastination had been shown to have a negative impact on college student’s well-being. Stressing over assignments can cause students physical health to change. This can lead to less sleep, unhealthy eating, and a change in their weight. In order to reduce the stress students rely on things that enhance their well-being.