Essay Example on Students' Stress: Balancing Pressure & Success

A little stress is a normal part of human life as it is important in handling challenges. However, too much stress can be toxic. Students are not immune to tress. Many people could think that all a student has to attend class, pass tests, and graduate. This is unfounded as student life is equally marred with challenges. While going about academic businesses, students are exposed to overwhelming stressors.

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According to the American Psychological Association report, 45 percent of students seeking counseling support in school allude their problems to stress. In another survey by Frontiers in Psychology, it is reported that there is a 30 percent rise in students seeking appointments at counseling centers. So what is this with stress among college students (Saleh Camart & Romo, 2017).

Finance is one of the stressors in college. A good number of students worry about how they will meet financial demands. Most students do not fancily guilt with spending parents' money. So what do they do? They choose to work part-time to meet various needs. Without any doubt, a student who engages in work-study remains with little time to study. Others who do not take up jobs opt for loans to sustain their stay in school (Britt et al., 2017).

However, money is not the only stressor. According to psychologists, family stress equally affects students while in school. He explains that parents without knowing put unnecessary stress on students. With intentions of helping them, parents may place high expectations on students. It is an internal drive to make parents proud, to go out of the way to please parents. However, if the high expectations can't be met, they end up as stressors. Apart from family expectations, other family imperfections such as divorce, family finances, and communication could weigh heavily in students' mental well-being (Hintz, Frazier & Meredith, 2015).

Peer pressure is another major cause of stress in a student's life. In a single day, a student is exposed to peer pressure multiple times. A student would easily get involved in a romantic relationship because of the need to identify with what is perceived to be right. In their interactions, students succumb to pressure to abscond class to attend a concert or a party. In many cases, they further indulge in alcohol and drug abuse while at such concerts. With the poor decision, they end up dangerous consequences like sexual assaults.

Finally, job outlook stress is a ghost for many students approaching graduation. Students must consider jobs that will pay off loans, sustain them, and meet family expectations. However, not all jobs available can meet all these demands. Stress follows up immediately with the realization of the reality in the job market. Most jobs are also demanding. And for qualities to stand out, there is no easy way out but to engage volunteer works. Considering so many graduating students competing for limited formal opportunities, students strive to outshine each other by obtaining better grades. This could be stressful.

Too much stress can take a toll on the physical well-being of any student. It is, therefore, imperative to combat stress promptly. Colleges should provide counseling services to students. The college counseling department is key to playing this noble role. College counselors can create a plan of action to help students beat stress.

In many cases, college counselors opt for weekly counseling program to assess stress management. Where there is no capacity for the counseling department, it is advisable to acquire services of external agencies to help manage stress among students. Agencies can also help with peer mentoring for students. Agencies have young counselors that help students to get help from experts of their age who have succeeded at overcoming the stressors of college.

As a preventive measure, students must be encouraged to make healthy choices like engaging in physical activities while in school. And with students seeking out healthier options, colleges are rising to the occasion to give their students what they need. For example, Bucknell University in Pennsylvania started the bike share program to help manage stress among students. In other words, colleges are encouraged to come up with creative activities that get the heart pumping. Medically, any activity that generates sweat help a great deal in managing stress (Beiter et al., 2015)

Smart Schedule is equally important in stress management in college. Activities in between classes should be programmed not to affect the academic program. It is easy for students to get overwhelmed with backlogs. The goal is to create a healthy balance and control over the schedule. Time management would help prevent anxiety-related stress. Being able to manage responsibilities, accomplish goals, and still have time for relaxation is invaluable in matters of stress management.

References

Beiter, R., Nash, R., McCrady, M., Rhoades, D., Linscomb, M., Clarahan, M., & Sammut, S. (2015). The prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of college students. Journal of affective disorders, 173, 90-96.

Britt, S. L., Ammerman, D. A., Barrett, S. F., & Jones, S. (2017). Student loans, financial stress, and college student retention. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 47(1), 3.

Hintz, S., Frazier, P. A., & Meredith, L. (2015). Evaluating an online stress management intervention for college students. Journal of counseling psychology, 62(2), 137.

Saleh, D., Camart, N., & Romo, L. (2017). Predictors of stress in college students. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 19.