If you are searching for this, you may be feeling the pressure and stress from rapidly approaching deadlines and final exams. Perhaps the rest of the semester went without issue. Maybe you were living carefree, completing assignments whenever you could and sometimes skipping a class just to have a ‘me’ day. Perhaps you attended meticulously, taking very precise notes and studying very hard. Regardless of your college experience, final exams can be a very vulnerable and tense time for many students. If you are feeling the effects of that with late night study sessions, skipping meals and sacrificing sleep to catch up on assignments and material you might have skimped over before, here are some things that can help you with that.
I’m a college student struggling with stress and anxiety. What can I do?
This may be your first year, this may be your third, regardless, it is very common for people in college to experience stress and anxiety. Is this the first time you are living away from home, or far away from home? Do you feel isolated, overwhelmed from all of your deadlines, and pulling late nights? Many factors can impact how you function and feel each day and college is an environment that presents a lot of different factors to make you feel that way. Transitioning from high school to college is difficult as is. The culture is different, the schedules are different, and it can be easier to let things pile up and prioritize other things, like friends, parties, or work.
College & Stress
Unfortunately, stress is looked at as a normal part of the college experience. There are so many demands put on college students compared to high school. The school work tends to be more challenging, there is more pressure to perform, and they don’t always have their parents to help with everyday tasks. With that being said, it does not mean that excessive, overwhelming daily stress is okay or should be ignored. Some stress motivates us to do more and be more productive, while too much stress can actually be detrimental to our physical and mental health.