HOW TO MANAGE STRESS IN COLLEGE

Stress is a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. According

to WHO(2023), Stress is a natural human response that promote us to human beings
to address challenges and threats in life. College students face a range of stress that
negatively impact their academic and overall well being, but by implementing stress
reducing strategies like building support networks, assume good intent, and
organizing time and finding your pace to avoid the pile to grow, they can improve the
ability to cope and succeed.

One important strategy is building support networks is having a strong support system
of family, friends, or peers who can provide emotional, practical assistance as well as
a sense of belonging. According to American Psychological Association(2023),
strengthening your support networks provides emotional, and social support which are
protective factors for dealing with life’s difficulties while loneliness has been
associated with a wide variety of health problems including high blood pressure,
diminished, immunity, cardiovascular diseases, and cognitive decline.

On the other hand, stress is caused by a lot of factors to a student, academic

performance, pressure to succeed, financial concerns relationship with friends and low
self esteem are some of the serious causes. When a person is stressed up, physical
and emotional signs and symptoms like exhaustion, headaches, dizziness or shaking, a
weak immune system, depression, sadness, irritability and panic attacks are observed.
Therefore to cope up with stress, joining a club or any other organization on campus
can help students connect with others who share their interests and values.
Additionally, talking to someone about your problems can also help someone to
prevent stress and provide a fresh perspective on the situation (Hudd et al., 2000).

Assuming good intent is another strategy that can help a student to manage stress in
college. This means assuming that others have positive intentions, rather than
assuming them worst. This can stop you from conflicts and misunderstandings,
resulting to reducing stress. Ashley (2021), states that the student is there at college to
earn points not being taken away by the processors. Professors want students to learn
and tend to do everything pertaining to your studies. Tragically, the professor to
student relationship is too often framed as one of enemy combats. But this has to be
understood that professors are there to facilitate learning and are partners in the
learning process. Such thinking brings about low self esteem and other causes of
stress. Avoiding such an awkward reasoning can help a student to manage stress.

In addition to that, organizing time and finding your pace as a student can also help to
manage stress in college. Effective time management can reduce stress by allowing
students to prioritize tasks, avoid procrastination, and ensure that they have enough
time for safe care activities (Eisenberg, 2013). People often gets stressed when they
feel that they are running out of time to complete tasks. This could bu study or work
relaxed or even from feeling overwhelmed with social activities. However simple
time management techniques can help you to feel more relaxed and focused.
According to Smith(2000), by creating a written schedule, breaking the tasks and
allocating yourself time everyday to relax or socialize can help a student to cope up
with stress.

In conclusion, building support networks, assuming good intent, organizing time, and
finding your pace are all effective ways of managing stress in college. College life can
be overwhelming, but by implementing these strategies, students can reduce their
stress levels and improve their overall well being.
References
American Psychological Association.(2023). Stress and current events. Retrieved

from https://www.apa.org./news/press/releases/stress/2023/stress-current-

events.pdf

Eisenberg, D., Hunt, J., & Speer, N.(2013). Mental Health in American Colleges and

Universities: Variation across students subgroups and across campuses. Journal of

Nervous and Mental Disease, 201(1),60-67. doi:

10.1097/MMD.0b013e31827ab077

Hudd, S., Dumlao, J., Erdmann-Sager, D., Murray, D. Pan, E., sOUKAS, n., &

Yokozuka, N. (2000). Stress at College: Effects on health habbits, health status

and self esteem. College Student Journal, 32(2),217-227. Retrieved from

https://www.questia.com/library.journal/1p3-59964896/stress-at-college-effects-

on-health-habbits-health.

Smith, J.,(2000). Ways to Manage Students Stress. Portwall Lane

World Health Organization.(2023). How to handle stress Healthily for college Kids

Recovery. Mental Health Journal. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-

room/questions-and-answers/item/stress-