Cause and Effect of Stress on Students
Students enter a unique part of their life when their college begins. By the time students reach college, they’re 18 and legally considered adults. They’re young and ill experienced but expected to fulfil complex and challenging tasks. Due to the perceived pressure, many students fall prey to stress. It negatively influences every aspect of their life unless they build a mechanism that is healthy and sheltered.
Stress is not out and out a bad thing because some people use it as a motivator to improve and combat obstacles more diligently. Some believe that stress at this age prepares them for life ahead and makes them mentally and emotionally strong.
There are different types of stress that students go through during their academic life. On the one hand, they’re dealing with academic stress, and on the other, they’re occupied with financial strain. Some students also have to deal with family and relationship issues during this time – this aspect is often neglected and dismissed. Many students become anxious as they fear about the professional prospects and the limited options that lie ahead.
Financial stress is truly the most frightening and anxiety-provoking as students are burdened by the thought of student debt they’re in. To make ends meet they pick up extra shifts at work and drive themselves to exhaustion. Many students even struggle to focus on their education – the main reason they even enrol in universities.
The constant assigning of group projects, individual reports and research assignments, students begin to feel overwhelmed and that leads them to complete burnout.
Below four common reasons for stress are discussed.
Unhealthy Competition
Competition isn’t as bad as people often make it out to be. In many cases, it challenges students and helps them exceed expectations. However, one must always understand that there’s a fine line between healthy and unhealthy competition – grades, CGPA, SAT scores, MCAT, graduation, graduate school acceptance, etc. are all important but not as important as peace of mind.
Most students, without even realising, become obsessed with their grades to the point that they start evaluating their worth on those results. Grades are important as they help decide your future – scholarships and job prospects simply get better if you have outstanding grades. But none of it would matter if you’re not healthy and alive.
Therefore, a healthy outlook is required. Instead of thinking about class rankings, grades, and competition, divert your attention to the most important thing: learning. Enhance your learning, read, be better informed, and stop worrying about the future.
Parental Expectations
Many students – especially in Asian households, are pressurised by their parents to opt for courses they’re not particularly interested in. They’re compelled to selected subjects out of choice and preference. Although these students have always lived with these expectations all their life, the burden magnifies in college.
College is tough and it comes with a lot of other obstacles that are not even remotely related to education. Students spend their entire lives seeking parental approval, and sometimes, these demands end up causing more damage than good. When this pressure isn’t handled well, stress converts into serious ailments like anxiety, depression, drug addiction, etc.
Homesickness
What is homesickness? It is the yearning for life back at home. Homesickness is actually a broader term and not something that is limited to missing parents and family. If you find a student feeling homesick, he or she is actually missing a simpler time. They’re yearning for a life that existed before college, part-time jobs, and dorm rooms.
Usually, freshman students become victims to homesickness as they struggle to adjust in the new environment. They may have trouble making new friends or hangout places back home. Living in dorm rooms and eating junk food all day and night can also remind them of home.
Another aspect that can contribute to homesickness is academic performance. Many students peak in high school – college has relatively more competition. Their grades may not be as good as they used to and this can fill them with a sense of insecurity and humiliation. They begin to miss old classrooms and teachers, not because they enjoyed taking their classes or anything – but because they were easy.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is a genuine issue that many people struggle with on a daily basis. Contrary to popular belief, social anxiety has nothing to do with being an introvert. It is an actual form of anxiety that trigger racing thoughts and agitation. Students find it challenging to adjust to their new life – it’s intimidating to enter new classrooms, talk to new people, and make new friends.
Most of the times, social anxiety leads you to feel like an outcast because of which students feel isolated and rejected. This has a lot to do with expectations – students fail to make connections as they had set unrealistic expectations for themselves. They had envisioned college life to be extraordinary and when it actually arrives, unlike their dreams, it’s dull.
How to deal with stress and its negative implications?
No matter which stage of life you are in, stress will always be a companion. Hence, students should learn the skill to adapt. When you enter college life, you’re overwhelmed with different problems every other day, so it’s better to be flexible and handle obstacles effectively.
- Boundaries
It’s extremely crucial to create boundaries from day one. Make a list of all the things that are acceptable for you – do you feel okay with a B grade in a subject that isn’t necessarily your strength? Is it okay to not be friendly to everyone? Is it okay to let your roommate talk to her boyfriend all night and disturb you in your sleep? Is it okay to acquire assignment writing service UK for subjects you need more assistance in?
- Have a schedule
Take everything one day at a time! Don’t just assume that everything will be great when you enter college life – your parents may not be there to control you anymore but you still have responsibilities. Hence, stick to a schedule and maintain a to-do list so that you don’t forget or leave anything at the last moment.
