Managing Stress At University

Running Head: MANAGING STRESS AT UNIVERSITY 1

Managing Stress at University.

Name of Student.

Institution Affiliation.

Running Head: MANAGING STRESS AT UNIVERSITY 2

Managing Stress at University

University is a new and exciting place to be, but it can be overwhelming and accompany

itself with stress. Most students getting admission to the universities have a lot of questions on

how to survive in there after having active sessions in high school. Most of these issues

accompanied by emotions which leads to stress. Identifying the source and type of stress can

help in preventing it from becoming unmanageable. The universities, therefore, creates room to

support such kind of weights students face by offering some assessments and activities that can

help ease pressure. This essay will discuss significant causes of tension in the university and how

they get managed. It will also provide assessments for students to gauge their stress levels and

activity to help control the stress levels.

Causes of Stress and how to Manage Them

The number one cause of stress among university students is a change of social lives. For

most students who have never lived on their own, it becomes so hard to adapt because they no

longer have their parents’ protection, care, and security. They are then forced to face the

challenges of leaving home, separating with their parents and beginning the process of self-

actualization, identifying themselves as adults and their place in the society. It also comes with

the necessity to do own chores, manages shopping, makes important decisions about one’s life,

coming up with a schedule, loneliness, homesickness and finding their way to strange places

(Stevens, 2013). It can cause sadness, stress, and tension among students and be more stressful

mainly to international students.

One can cope up with this through scheduling specific times to talk with their friends and

family rather than calling and texting them all the time to avoid loneliness. They can also think

Running Head: MANAGING STRESS AT UNIVERSITY 3

about other times when they were away from home and what helped them get through (Stevens,

2013). One can even reach out to their friends in their hostels and talk.

Time management is another source of stress among university students. Some courses

offered can be very demanding and involve students taking several classes at ago and many

assignments hence denying one the chance to take part in other co-curricular activities, sports,

and exercise. Students engage in many businesses other than schoolwork when at the

universities. Without teachers and parents to keep one on toes, most students find it difficult to

organize their lives as most of them lack time management skills. Therefore balancing their

studies and social life becomes hectic as most prioritize other activities other than learning

leading to last-minute rush in meeting set deadlines for submitting tasks and assignments. Some

students may be taking part in part-time jobs to support themselves financially (Seaward, 2013).

It leads to stress, as handling simultaneous responsibilities can be tiresome to the students. Some

students may also lack enough time to complete the assignments as some assignments get done

in groups with other students and if no group member can give their full commitment to doing

the tasks together, stress arises, as the duty might not get done appropriately.

One can deal with this by learning tips and techniques to make better use of their time

and get printable time management charts that they can use to get on the right track. One should

also avoid putting off assignments or responsibilities until last minute as it can create more

mental and physical stress. Writing out a schedule mapping out classes and assigning time for

socializing may also help in managing day-to-day obligations (Seaward, 2013). Making a list of

everything one has to do and organizing the list into sections of what one has to do versus what

one has to do can also help in time management.

Running Head: MANAGING STRESS AT UNIVERSITY 4

Pressure to perform academically is another source of stress among university students as

the competition to get good grades can be demanding. Students who want to excel get stressed

on how to perform as they struggle to excel in their studies. Some students may also receive too

much pressure from their parents to play excellently in their academics (Samaha, 2016). The

students who have sponsors and those seeking scholarship are forced to keep a clean sheet in

their grades to keep existing awards. Students are forced to study till late in the nights to get

good grades leading to a lot of stress as they lack adequate sleep.

One is advised to have a study timetable to deal with this kind of stress to ease planning

for studies. Accompanied by engaging in healthy exercises helping the mind relax to

accommodate what the student reads. Students are also advised to have enough sleep since brains

are not like machines; this will help the students in the absorption of information even better if

the body has enough rest. Students from high school should not apply for courses, which they are

not comfortable with since it will only bring more stress studying it (Samaha, 2016).

Student Assessments and Activity

The below stress assessment questionnaire is an example of a test that a student can fill so

that the University be able to tell the stress levels in a given student. The student involved will

submit the responses, a psychologist will then determine whether the student is stressed or not. If

it happens that the student is highly stressed, the school will look into it by providing some

activities that can relieve stress.

Many activities can be used to relieve stress. It all depends on the degree of pressure a

student might be having. A student can try light yoga by combining deep breathing techniques

and posses to make the activity work. The student can also meditate by undergoing mental

Running Head: MANAGING STRESS AT UNIVERSITY 5

silence by taking a deep breath to lower cortisol level to reduce stress. The student can be made

to listen to music which triggers biochemical stress reducers, assisting in treating stress

associated with studies. The student can try guided visualization of the calm and peaceful scene

to help reduce anxiety (Morin, 2013).

After performing the above activities, the student will be allowed to undergo

another assessment to check if the stress levels have reduced. It marks the end of the evaluation

and the student advised on how to maintain the stress-free life. The same assessment used to

determine the stress level can be reused to identify changes in the students’ reply. The

practitioners will tell a minimal stress level if the student submits more definite answers to the

questionnaire.

In conclusion, managing stress among students is a good idea ever brought into

consideration. Many students in many Universities we have around found it hard to cope with the

hard and confusing lives. After carrying out these assessments, there was a significant change

noticed on the students who had high-stress levels. These evaluations and the activities will help

students to have a conducive environment for studies by assisting them to have a settled mind

that is ready for learning.

Stress Assessment Questionnaire.

1. Have you noticed changes in your sleeping habits such as sleeping late or lack of sleep?

2. Has your concentration span in class reduced or increased?

3. Do you find it hard socializing and making friends?

4. How often do you eat? Do you take all your meals?

5. Do you experience loneliness and feel rejected?

Running Head: MANAGING STRESS AT UNIVERSITY 6

6. How often do your parents call you?

7. Do you like the course you are pursuing at the University?

8. What do you miss most from your high school life?

9. Do you always go for games or participate in any co-curriculum activities?

Questionnaire on Stress levels Improvement

Base your Responses on how you feel After the Stress-relieving Activities.

1. Are you comfortable with the course you are pursuing?

2. Have your eating habits improved?

3. Do you still feel lonely?

4. Do you still find it hard making friends and socializing?

5. Do you still miss your parents’ care and support?

6. Which activities did you find difficult to engage?

7. Which activities do you think can be included to help other students ease their stress

levels

8. Has your concentration span increased in class?

Running Head: MANAGING STRESS AT UNIVERSITY 7

References

Cooper, C. L. (2017). The Handbook of Stress and Health. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Morin, K. (2013). 23 Science-Backed Ways to Reduce Stress Right Now. Greatist, 1.

Samaha, M. (2016). Relationships among stress, smartphone addiction, academic performance,

and Satisfaction with Life. ScienceDirect, 321-325. Link:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.045

Seaward, B. L. (2013). Managing Stress. Burlington: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Stevevens, R. E. (2013). Stress in College Athletics. Abingdon: Routledge.

Regehr, C. (2013). Interventions to Reduce Stress in University Students. ScienceDirect, 1-11.

Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2012.11.026

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."