Where Does The Stress Come from and How to Control It.

Once so often you hear that these are the most stressful years of your life, but why? We know what we have to do and how to get it done but it still seems that all college are having a tough time keeping their stress levels at a minimum.

MaryAnn Colucci, a psychology professor at Adelphi says, “The college years are stressful because the students are trying to learn so much in a short amount of time.” Also Colucci says that college kids may not be certain about what they would like to pursue as a major and this can create pressure from their parents to make the student decide so as not to waste money in changing majors and prolonging the college tuition bills. There is also a social pressure that exists on campuses, especially for those that dorm on campus.

There are many triggers that erupt these stressful emotions during these years. Colucci believes that the transition from high school to college is particularly hard. “They may have been in the top 10% of their class in high school, but now their surrounded by other high achieving students, it can be overwhelming,” says Colucci. Being on your own for the first time as well is a shock to most students. They are now responsible for their academics, activities of daily living such as eating correctly, sleeping adequately and keeping up with their laundry.

In hopes of keeping student’s stress levels at a minimum Colucci advises that being organized, keeping up with assignments, knowing people in your classes, and having a study technique that works is helpful. Keeping focused on your schoolwork is a good way to “stop the stress from creeping up on you.”

Picture courtesy

Sleep is another factor of stress that wears down college students quickly simply because they do not get enough of it. According to the American College Health Association, 46% of polled college students said they had slept enough on 3-5 days, 29% felt well rested on 1-2 days and 12% said they didn’t get an adequate amount of sleep once in the past week. Only 13% of college students were able to respond that they had gotten enough sleep to feel well rested in the morning. This poll surveyed nearly 17,000 college students in 2005.

“I always think that people feel better when things are in order, so at the end of the day, if the student can look at their “To Do list” and check off 90% of what they set out to do, they feel like they’ve accomplished something significant and that allows them to sleep easier and get the rest they need,” says Colucci.

However it’s important to remember not to become too relaxed, “there is a certain amount of stress that is necessary to motive students to perform,” says Colucci. Students must be able to balance school, work and responsibilities and it is important to make sure everything is in order. Even though it is essential to get out once and awhile it is not a good idea to go out on the night before a test. “It’s more about not knowing how to balance relaxing, studying and learning,” says Colucci.