Your future. Final exams. The worst roommate. Debt. Moving away from home for the first time. These and several other issues can overwhelm students with stress, making their lives pained and causing them to crash and burn academically, which happens far more often than you think.
The infographic below, Managing the College Stress Epidemic, presents an eye-opening summary of stress at the college/university level, including a breakdown of symptoms, triggers and treatment options. It is a must-read for college students, incoming freshmen and parents.
Most colleges and universities are conscious of the prevalence of stress among students and contribute to the conversation by providing a wide range of prevention and treatment options, including counseling, educational courses and therapy.
In addition to asking for help from the institution, students can also do simple things in their daily lives to overcome stress. Getting enough sleep, for instance, goes a long way toward relieving stress, and yet is something that many college students simply don’t prioritize. Sleep, exercise and diet not only relieve stress, but they also contribute to better physical health — the combination of which can make the difference between academic failure and success.
Another important reason to concentrate on these positive coping techniques: Students all too often turn to negative coping techniques that will make the stress problem worse. Much worse. Extreme alcohol consumption, experimenting with drugs and ill-advised romantic relationships are just three ways students can damage their lives in an attempt to relieve stress.
A great start to staying positive, healthy and keeping stress at bay is to continue reading below.
