Stressors of College

Managing and Reducing Stress

LDRS 1016

Linda Beckett, Karen Blair, Samantha Hight
Mark Lyons, and Emma Thompson
There is no doubt that stress is most apparent in college students. This stress can
be anywhere from mild to very severe cases. In 2012, The American College Counseling
Association found that 37.4 percent of all college students feel stressed more times than
not (Meglio). This stress can come from anywhere including: academics, athletics, social
groups, and family can.
While stress can be seen as a natural process that every individual endures and
must overcome, sometimes stress can be fatal. Having too much stress contributes to
various health issues. With college students under so much stress, they often turn to
alcohol or drugs to relax them and this can cause major future issues. It can cause
overeating or under eating which both cause an issue with body weight. It can also cause
blood pressure to rise, which in turn causes issues with the heart. The most significant
result is psychological issues. Suicide is the second leading cause of death of college
students due to stressed related issues.
With stress being an inevitable issue in the lives of college students and their adult
life, there are certain ways to manage and relieve stress. There are three options that most
students in college rely on to cope with their stress: therapy, relaxation, and socialization.






Option One: Therapy
When a problem arises, therapy can be an excellent outlet for students to
proactively tackle an issue before it becomes severe. Students in need of a third party
support system should look to therapy as a tool to guide them in the right direction.
Instead of using a third party candidate, therapy can also include self-help methods that
will further accountability and responsibility for oneself.
Therapy can come in many forms, such as seeing an actual therapist or listening
to music. Either way, both therapeutic methods accomplish the same goal. The purpose of
therapy is to help alleviate or solve an issue an individual is concerned about. Effective
treatment can allow students to reduce their stress and feel more comfortable at their
respective college. Being stressed can affect all aspects of an individuals life and lead to
an unhealthy lifestyle. Minimizing this stress can allow an individual to be successful and
move forward without any barriers blocking the way.
Also, therapy is a useful tool that comes in a variety of ways. The type of therapy
an individual chooses is up to them, and what he or she thinks will be the most
appropriate and effective. On college campuses, students have several therapeutic
services available to them, such as counseling and tutoring centers. A student may also
rely on self-help methods, such as keeping a journal to reduce stress. In order to tackle
stress, an individual needs to identify the stressor and learn how to effectively cope with
this problem by taking control of his or her life.

College students are faced with stressors everyday. This stress can come from
academics and uncertainty about the future. Students may have worries about graduating
college, changing their major, having a job after college, and paying for tuition. Therapy
can allow students to effectively manage stress in order to face these issues head on. The
skills students learn from therapy can be applied to all aspects of life. Students that go
through therapy for their stress will be able to handle the stress of today and the stress of
tomorrow.

Counseling Centers
On most campuses students have some type of center where they can receive
counseling. Here, students are able to communicate their problems with professionals
who can help them learn how to cope with their stress. These professionals can give
advice on how to manage stress and face issues students may be dealing with. For
example, Virginia Tech has the Cooks Counseling Center, a free service that has trained
professionals who assist students that are struggling with time management, academics,
and personal relationships (Cook). The therapeutic sessions counseling centers offer can
give students the necessary skills to identify stressors and effectively manage stress.

Tutoring
Tutoring is another form of therapy that can help reduce stress. If a student is
struggling academically, then he or she may want additional help from a tutor. Colleges
may offer free tutoring for students and have centers dedicated to certain subjects. Having
a tutor can relieve academic pressure on a student and allow them to understand the
material better. As a result, the student may be more successful inside and outside of
class. Tutors can also give advice on how to study and take notes, which also helps
alleviate stress academics cause. Students who receive tutoring can be better equipped to
facing stressors, and managing their academics.

Physical Activity
Physical activity is also a therapeutic form that can relieve stress for college
students. Engaging in physical activity can be mentally and physically healthy, and be a
remedy to stress. During exercise, the body releases endorphins, which improves an
individuals mood and reduces stress (Exercise). College can be stressful for students and
going for a walk or working out at the gym can help students improve their health.
Participating in sports, such as intramural sports, not only relieves stress, but also
increases community interaction. By participating in more physical activities, students
can lead a healthier lifestyle. Here are some things that this option suggests we could do,
individually and collectively, along with some of the drawbacks:

What we could do:
This option forces students to take action in order to reduce their stress. Students
must realize that they need to make changes in their lives and seek new ways to handle
pressure. Therapy allows students to learn what stressors affect them and how to manage
stress effectively. Stress management is a useful life skill that can help a student now and
in the future.
Offered on plenty of campuses, counseling centers help students in need of
support from trained professionals. This example offers a way for students to
express themselves in a safe environment while also gaining advice in return.
But
Immediate results may not be guaranteed. This option, although it may not work
better, could be a long-term solution not a quick fix.

Tutoring, if academics are stressful, allow students to look to other individuals for
guidance and assistance with workload. This offers an accountability system
requiring students to meet with tutors at designated times.
But
The tutor isnt helpful and scheduling becomes a hassle instead of an asset for
students.

Physical activity provides a stress reliever along with the health benefits they will
receive as a result of this activity. This activity can also provide more energy and
promote a healthier lifestyle.
But
Can be mentally and physically draining along with difficulty fitting into ones
schedule.

Option Two: Relaxation
Relaxation is a mental and physical break from life that can reenergize students
and allow them to be more productive after the activity has occurred. Students can look to
relaxation as an opportunity to take a timeout from work, which gives their bodies a
much-needed break.
College students are always working. They work on academics, internships,
research, scholarships, service, clubs, and teams. The more college students work through
to become accomplished, the higher the expectation people put on them in the future.
Naturally, students continue to push the limits of impossible in order to meet the new
expectations of those around them. As this occurs, the stress level in college students
grows to all time highs. Everyday students are stressed with the responsibilities and
expectations placed on them.
College students need a way to relieve this stress in productive and healthy ways.
Option two discusses the method of relaxation in order to provide the body and brain
with recuperation time. This time is crucial for the proper functioning of the brain.
Breaks and occasional rest of the body and brain are required for the best possible
performance both mentally and physically. Relaxation in its most basic forms can allow a
student to unwind and momentarily not worry. This can be an incredibly difficult task of
those under great stress to forget about impending pressure.
College can create many obvious stresses such as grades, social pressures, and
fear of the future. On a daily basis, students are reminded of the pending assignments
and studying that has to be completed They are also bogged down with daily social
events that are available to further their networks and help them in future endeavors.
Finally, students stress over the impending doom that they all know as the future. Am I in
the right major? Will I make enough money in this career? How am I going to pay off all
my student loans? What am I going to do after graduation? The less noticeable, although
continually present stressors such as: finances, cohabitation, privacy, and medical issues
put great strain on students to remain focused.

Sleep
This much-treasured pastime in college is sometimes discarded for five cups of
coffee and one major paper. Sleep is necessary for proper brain functioning including
cognition and memorization. Anyone in college would tell you those are two staples for
passing a test.
The power nap can provide a lot of recovery in a reasonable amount of time.
Anywhere between twenty to forty-five minutes is perfect for a nap. Any shorter and the
nap will be ineffective. Too much longer will cause the nap to have the opposite effect of
making a student more tired.
A nap or a good nights sleep is a perfect way for a student to relax. This time
away from the real world provides students a chance to escape from their stressors and
take care of their bodies. It offers mental and physical benefits associated with stress
relief to include more energy and focus on tasks.
Flow activities
A flow activity varies between every individual. The common thread is
that this is any activity in which someone can loss track of time and the world around him
or her. The activity simply allows the person to flow.
These activities provide students with a chance to release some stress by doing
what they love for some time every week. Many students enjoy simple flow activities like
drawing, painting, riding their bike, or participating in pick-up sports. The ability to
forget about the outside world and focus on a beloved hobby provides student with an
outlet for their stress.
Entertainment
Entertainment can be anything from video games to movies to music. When a
student is feeling stressed these options could provide a student with the opportunity to
become consumed by a different experience to give them a break from their own
experiences.
Stress causes students to burn out or to become overwhelmed. When this occurs,
entertainment can provide a mindless break for them to relax and forget about all of their
work. Many different things can be categorized as entertainment which allows student to
decide which mode they like the best.

What we could do:
This option requires that students feeling stressed choose relaxation as their
method of coping whether it be through sleep, flow activities, or entertainment. Here are
some things that this option suggests students could do to combat the stress along with
some of the drawbacks:
Sleep offers a great way for students to take a break from everything going on in
their life and it allows them to physically and mentally recuperate.
BUT
There is the possibility that the student may oversleep causing them to fall behind
on their work along with becoming more tired.

Flow activities offer an outlet for one to freely express his or herself anyway they
find fulfilling.
BUT
These activities could allow people to lose track of time while not prioritizing
necessary assignments, which causes them to be unproductive.

Entertainment offers students the opportunity to decompress from specific
activities for a certain amount of time.
BUT
Although these activities have a designated length, it can be easy to lose track of
time causing for a further delay of necessary responsibilities.


Option Three: Socialization
These activities allow students to stimulate the brain in a different way and
promote social interaction. This gives students the opportunity to focus on different tasks
while still remaining mentally focused.
Humans, collectively speaking, are inherently social. People enjoy the company
others and maintaining a sense of connectedness to others, which is incredibly important,
not to just maintain mental sanity, but can also be a crucial tool to dealing with the
stressors in life. Life during college is filled with stress. From the daily deadlines of
classes to the classes where two exam grades are the only grades, college can get
extremely stressful. Being able to talk to someone about their day or escaping the
terrifying world of college work for a short period of time can allow the student to forget
about reality and give their mind a mental break. It can also help to get another
perspective by to listening to others. The student can put himself in another persons
shoes to gain a new perspective about their own problems.
Schoolwork alone can drive one crazy, but while in college, students are faced
with more relationship problems than any other time in their life. These kinds of
problems range from issues with their significant other, their newly acquired friends at
school, maintaining previous friendships, and keeping up with their parents. When these
kinds of circumstances arise, being with others has been a mechanism to deal with
relationships. Being in a social environment with many other people be allows for their
mind to release problems that have been consuming their thoughts. Being in a group
allows them to enjoy the company of others while helping deal with all types of stress.
Stress comes in all forms from college. A very prominent source of stress in
college is the future. Ask any college student and the word future will make their stress
levels go up instantly. This is where the importance of social activities comes in. A
college event is almost always guaranteed to get their mind off the future and put them in
the present situation. These kinds of relieving social events range from school sponsored
functions, to sporting events, to a fraternity/sorority social.

Partying Positive
The public image today is very narrow sighted when viewing the college aspect of
partying. When most imagine a party the last thing they can see is anything good
coming from it. The public image of it is a stereotypical dark basement with large
amounts of alcohol and the first steps of fornifications occurring. Many current college
students would agree with this generalized consensus. However, a party can provide
many positives.
For those that go out to parties with good intentions many positives will come of
it. An open party environment allows a great space to express the stress to others and
clear ones mind. Also, going out to a party gives the student time out of the dorm room
where they can have all the more temptation of work and stress. An overall wind-down
time from a week of work and stress is critical to individual success.

Volunteering
The ancient saying put yourself into someone elses shoes has lived on in
infamy. It is one of the most common sayings still used today because of the simple, yet
powerful message that it delivers. Stress is relative and can sometimes be created by the
short mindedness of individuals. The volunteers problems cannot be serious but over-
thinking may occur, which can escalate a minor issue. Volunteering helps a person get a
grip on the reality around them because they may be enclosed in their little bubble, like
many college students are.
Volunteering does the exact thing that the ancient saying prescribes and makes
them see life through someone elses shoes. The perspective change can alter their
outlook entirely. Seeing someones struggle for a daily meal or struggle moving from
place to place will take the students school problems and make them insignificant. This
could allow the student to be farm more productive than they previously would have been
because they will see their problems as not as severe.

(Act)ivities
The reasoning for the parenthesis in the title is not show that there is a word inside
another, but to show that when one participates in activities they are getting active and
going out and socializing. Social activities get a student out of the classroom mindset and
place them into a setting that is built for open communication. Not only do the activities
build new relationships, but they allow the student a much needed study break. These
activities, typically school sponsored, are things like sporting events and festivals that
promote entertainment and socialization. This study break will relieve the stress that was
built up.
What we could do:
This option requires the student to get out and moving. They have to be willing to
get out of the classroom, dorm, or library and talk to others. The social interaction
relieves stressors of college through open communication and will drive productivity.
Here are some things that this option suggests we could do, individually and collectively,
along with some of the drawbacks:


Parties offer students an opportunity to break free from the stress of daily life.
Friends give needed support and advice that help manage stress. Both can provide
an environment of support. They offer advice along with relaxation and the
chance to take a break from work.
But
Although these activities have the potential for positive impact, they could
lead students to engage in potentially harmful activities along with
impacting the next days productivity.


Volunteering offers students a new outlook on their own problems viewed
through the perspective of those they serve. This reality check gives students the
responsibility to manage and understand the stressors that they face.
But
These opportunities could be potentially harmful to the students worldly
outlook by causing negativity. It can consume their focus, which takes
away from schoolwork.
Social activities include school sponsored events and sports games, which cater to
students social needs. These give students an outlet that provides study breaks
and the chance to form networks.
But
These occasions present obstacles for students including possible negative
interactions and peer pressure.





Works Cited
1. Cook Counseling Center. (n.d.). Virginia Tech. Retrieved April 6, 2014, from
http://www.ucc.vt.edu/index.html

2. Exercise To Release Stress. (n.d.). The Stress Management Society. Retrieved
April 6, 2014, from http://www.stress.org.uk/Exercise.aspx
3. Francesca, M. Stress Takes Its Toll on College Students.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-10/stress-takes-its-toll-on-
college-students (accessed April 6, 2014).
4. Stroke, N. I. o. N. D. a. Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm
(accessed April 6, 2014).