As finals week draws near, our eyes are slowly becoming irritated. Sleep is disappearing and our appetite patterns are being altered. Most importantly, our stress level is at its maximum.
There’s no doubt college students are really stressed.
According to a 2008 mental health survey done by mtvU — a television network available at many universities in the nation — and the Associated Press, one out of five college students say they feel stressed most of the time, and one out of four students report experiencing daily stress. Around 2,200 undergraduate students, ages 18 to 24, were polled. They were selected from 40 randomly chosen four-year schools around the country.
These stress levels have not only increased as the weeks passed by during this semester, but they have also increased as years have passed by in our country. Evidence suggests that college students nowadays are more stressed than college students in the past.
According to an article from the New York Daily News, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University analyzed data from 1983, 2006 and 2009, and found people’s self-reported stress levels have increased 10-30% in the last three decades. Young people turned out to be one of the most stressed groups. The data was collected from phone or online surveys of 6,300 people.
Sashagay Walker, a sophomore majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry, is one of many on our campus who deals with the pressure.
“I don’t even know how I do it,” Walker said. “Whenever I get really stressed out, I try to listen to the Gospel and meditate, but sometimes I don’t even have time for that.”
Walker also tries going to places where she can feel calmed.
“I try to go to the gym at least three times a week, and I reserve rooms in the library to study,” she said.
Jordan Johanson, a freshman pre-nursing major, tries to keep everything under control, but says it is not easy.
“The most challenging part is organizing my time and studies,” Johanson said. “If I didn’t study as much as I do, I would be a lot more stressed than what I already am.”
Freshman social work major Katie Langowski has always thought of herself as a natural worrier but she never imagined college would be so stressful.
“We did a stress test for one of my classes last week, and I scored the highest,” Langowski said. “It’s very hard to balance work, school, and the Equestrian Club and still make time for sleep.”
It is tough to eradicate stress, but it is very easy to manage it.
We are walking on a campus that leaks de-stress resources. One of these resources is the Counseling and Psychological Services office, located in Howard Hall room 228, where students can seek consultation.
Other resources available to conquer stress include the ‘Wall of Encouragement’ in the library, where students can add motivational words by adding a post-it to a wall, and various events held by Prevention and Wellness and Campus Recreation, such as Puppy Palooza.