Educational stresses require campus-wide support
With the arrival of midterms comes a week of studying and plenty of stress. With plenty of tests and essays to worry about, mental health is probably the last thing that comes to mind, no pun intended.
Education at any level has become dependent on stress and anxiety. These educational expectations of constant high-performance leave millennials as the most stressed generation, as reported by a recent Stress in America survey. This shift toward high-stakes grading and weeks with unbearable workloads can really take their toll. Stress, by its very essence, is a short-term response to physical danger. When mixed with the long-term undertaking of a college education, students sign themselves up with a potential recipe for disaster.
According to the 2015 National College Health Assessment, 30 percent of college students reported that stress negatively impacted their academic career. The same survey also showed 85 percent had at least once felt overwhelmed by everything they had to do. This stress comes in different forms throughout a college career. For first-year students, it’s a struggle adjusting to a new environment and making new friends. For seniors, it’s thinking about a future career and every stage in between that deals with doing well, keeping up with coursework and meeting requirements. These factors don’t even include any outside or personal stressors.
Scientifically, chronic stress regularly releases cortisol into the bloodstream. The neurological makeup of stress is closely linked to symptoms of depression. Often a constant buildup of energy and anxiety leads to a crash. Research from the American Psychological Association cites many health problems associated from chronic stress, including digestive problems, headaches, high blood pressure, sleep problems, weight gain and concentration impairment.
I personally suffer from chronic anxiety and depression, so I have had my fair share of highs and lows throughout my education, but I rarely show external signs of distress. Knowing the importance I place on my academics, even when my health is suffering, I will still juggle all of my responsibilities. Without a solid foundation of mental clarity and stress-relieving techniques, however, not only does my work suffer, but so does my well-being.
The endless deadlines and assignments are inevitable. Choosing how to handle them, however, is an individual decision. From the educational side, it’s never too late to develop study habits, create a productive study environment and recognize a personal learning style. While setting academic and professional goals is important, perhaps more so is finding a balance between work and downtime.
Finding the best forms of stress relief might require trial and error, but having a coping “toolbox” before the serious stress sets in can help prevent future obstacles from taking their toll. Some great stress relievers are exercise, meditation, coloring, journaling or anything that provides mental calmness. USD’s counseling services are a great outlet for regular professional guidance and support. Also, simply sleeping enough and eating nutritious foods can make a huge impact.
College is full of stress-filled years, but everything will pass. In the present moment, wellness takes top priority. If that means taking a day off of classes just to catch a breath, so be it. Everybody faces moments drowning beneath overwhelming stress, which is completely valid and understandable. In this week of midterms and every week after, a campus-wide acknowledgement of stress and mental health is a crucial step toward uplifting students to reach their fullest potentials academically and, more importantly, cognitively.
