Every year, students worldwide feel burdened by stress. Stress is a part of everyday life in general. A little stress is necessary to keep us aware and alert of our surroundings, however too much stress can lead to serious physical and emotional health problems. Some of the leading causes of stress are job pressure, money, relationships, and sleep deprivation (stress statistics).
Many of the leading causes of stress affect college students. One statistic shows approximately 9.1% of college students face anxiety disorders and it is the most common mental health issue on college campuses (Hoxworth 2012). Many students have jobs as well as attending school full time. Most students have to maintain living within a budget while money is tight and balance relationships. In general, multi-tasking my tasks during the day make it difficult to get the recommended amount of sleep required.
I wanted to specifically point out the effects on college student stress because it is a common issue nationwide. All over campus you can meet many students who are carrying a considerable amount of stress on their shoulders. Also, college is known to be a time where important decisions are made that can truly have a long term effect on an individual. Important decisions such as career goals, relationships, and living on your own for the first time usually happens during the college-aged years (Hoxworth 2012).
My own experience with college has been stressful at times. I have noticed keeping a routine can be helpful with prioritizing what has to get done during the day. Early this year I had a job where I had to balance my time and priorities even more. It had gotten to the point where I was working too many late hours and did not have the time and energy to finish my homework on time. Therefore, I had to make an important decision to put in my two weeks and only focus on school. This decision was not easy because having a job and making money was helpful while attending school, but when one thing interferes with something more important, you have to make a decision. I can relate to the stress other students feel while working and going to school.
For some students, a long term problem with stress can lead to other anxiety disorders. Kelsey a student at The University Nebraska-Lincoln is an example of one anxiety leading to another. Kelsey had a long term disorder with stress and eventually led to an eating disorder in college (Hoxworth 2012). This is one example of how it is important to speak up and get help with on-going stress because it can spiral into another kind of anxiety. Many students do not realize they have a serious problem because stress is often overlooked in society. There is no magical formula to figure out how much is too much stress, but in general look into how much of your day is impacted by stress.
In conclusion, my main focus is to bring awareness to stress in college students. College can be a fun time with many wonderful memories, but it can also be a challenging time for students. Many students have to balance time and priorities during a hectic schedule. It is important to remember if one is dealing with a significant amount of stress, there are ways to cope and get help. Some examples include keeping a journal, organizing a planner, maintaining good nutrition and frequent exercise, and speaking up to talk about stress to a trusted friend. The best thing is to speak up and talk about stress while helping others who may be dealing with the same thing. Bringing awareness to this issue can help many students worldwide dealing with stress in college.
Work Cited:
American Psychological Association 2013. “Stress in Statistics”. Accessed April 20. http://www.statisticbrain.com/stress-statistics/
Hoxworth, Laura 2012. “How Much is Too Much? Managing Stress in College”. Accessed April 20. http://www.hercampus.com/health/mental-health/how-much-stress-too-much-managing-anxiety-college
Marshall, Cecelia 2012. “So Stressed? Shingles Among Stressed College Students is not Uncommon”. Accessed April 23. http://cecemarshall.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/so-stressed-shingles-among-stressed-college-students-is-not-uncommon/