College Life Is A Challenge, Get Used To It
By Leigh Baker

Many students today are feeling that the pressures of college are simply too much. But why? College has recently become a necessary step in one’s life, so the stressors of it should be widely known. Students understand what they are getting into before they actually get into it, and if it truly is too much for them, there are many options that will help them to combat the stress they feel.

Sure, college isn’t easy. In fact, it’s pretty tough for most people. If students are not aware of this before they enter college, then something is going wrong in their years of preparation. Someone should tell them just what it is they are getting themselves into. After all, that is what the word “preparation” means: any proceeding, experience, or the like considered as a mode of preparing for the future, according to Webster’s Dictionary.

So, why are students now complaining that their education is interfering with their emotional well being? It is because they have never been told what to expect. If they were told, then they would have nothing to complain about.

The University of Florida Counseling Center names a few factors that contribute to stress among people of all ages. First, the environment is a stressor simply because it is not constant. Noise, traffic, weather, and crowding are all aspects of the environment, which certainly do not ease the mind. Next, physiological factors make life harder to deal with.

Things such as illness, injury, or hormones can elevate the stress level. On that note, lack of sleep, another physiological factor, is one thing that college students need to pay special attention to. Third are social situations. The university names things such as finances, work, social events, and losing a loved one as being strong instigators of anxiety. Finally, we come to personal thoughts. A negative-thinking person is obviously more likely to find themselves feeling blue. If students keep a close watch on these symptoms, especially if they are made aware of them before entering college, they will be able to effectively deal with the pressures that come with post-secondary education.

Besides this, however, if students still feel the need to gripe about their problems, there are plenty of things that can be done in order reduce their stress level. One thing is to develop a balanced lifestyle. This means eating right, sleeping enough, and balancing day-to-day activities. It’s also important to do something you enjoy, such as sports or recreation.

Additionally, students can discuss their problems with others, and thus, gain a wider perspective on their issue. It provides a sense of control, and allows students to move away from their bubble of negativity. Lastly, students should strive for meaning and keep their values in check. A lack of purpose can cause stress, so if students find things that provide satisfaction, a sense of contentment will accompany that.

All of these things are important to a student’s success in college. It certainly is not an easy task, but it’s not supposed to be. It is meant to be a challenging, trying period in one’s life, but if dealt with correctly, students will consider these years to be the most valuable thus far in their lifetime.

Stress Is A Fact Of Life
By Cara Schweikert

My Life. From the minute I open my eyes in the morning until I close them again at night, stress has become a part of my daily routine. I am a twenty-three year old college student, living in New York City, solely depending on myself to pay the bills, get good grades, keep a job and maintain a social life. Not easy and extremely, stressful. Sadly, I have become accustomed to getting “stressed out” on a daily basis, not only about my current lifestyle, but also what lies ahead in my future.

Moving here from Cleveland four years ago I came to succeed, failure is not an option, nor is the possibility of contracting the AIDS virus. Not only do I have to worry about the pressures of succeeding, I also am trapped in a world where casual sex is not an option, unless you want to roll the dice. My Life -- these are the facts.

However there are ways to go about balancing the stressful days and nights. As an individual we must understand the role we play in why our lives are stressful. This can include our schedules, life-style, and priorities. For example, I work as a bartender at night. My job requires me to drink with the customers,(this is one of the perks) because of this I choose only to work on the weekends, otherwise I know I will never make it to class during the week. Also, if I choose to spend Monday thru Thursday partying and hanging out with my friends, I will have no time to do my homework. So, I must force myself to maintain a schedule of My Life.

According to the University of Florida Counseling Center physical symptoms of stress can include some of the following: Muscular tension, repeated colds or other illnesses (also one of the symptoms of HIV), high blood pressure, indigestion, ulcers, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, depression, anger, anxiety, forgetfulness, and repetitive thoughts. Personally, I experience more than one of these symptoms daily which makes me feel as if I need to get help!

Luckily, the University of Florida Counseling Center provides information that various college campuses offer stress management groups to students. The management groups will offer students techniques such as developing a balanced lifestyle, gaining perspective by discussing problems and relaxation techniques. The challenge ahead is actually making time to learn and use these beneficial techniques.

Something that the Florida Counseling Center also stated that I could relate to, was that spirituality could also play a major role when dealing with stress. I have found that prayer above anything else has gotten me through the most stressful periods of My Life.

Food for thought.

Stress Sometimes Makes Me Hungry
By Lindsay Cooper

Stress is something all people—students, professionals, parents, friends, and partners can all relate to in different ways and quantities. A student may be stressed out because of an exam they haven’t prepared for, a parent may be stressed out because of a bill they have not paid on time, and a friend may be stressed out because her boyfriend is driving her crazy.

We all have different ways of dealing with the stressors in our lives as well. I know that I personally deal with it by talking to close friends, exercising at the gym, and even by eating A LOT. By eating a lot I mean I will have meal after meal that contain large quantities of grease and fat that I will look back in disgust.

Stress is such an uncomfortable, draining, and frustrating process that I would do anything to escape it if it’s taking over my life. I think it is important that if you are someone who is under a lot of stress constantly that you seek out ways to deal with it in healthy and productive ways. Stress can be dealt with by counseling and stress management skills as the University of Florida Counseling Center explains.

Looking back at the times when my life was overridden by stress, I found counseling very helpful. Sometimes it just helps to vent my frustrations to someone else, even if they aren’t doing anything productive for me. This person that you vent to does not even need to be a professional -- it can be a close friend who you feel would be attentive and useful.

Sometimes I think people need to talk to professional people in learning or relearning ways to cope with stress. This is important because I believe many people don’t really know how to deal with stress and even revert to negative and destructive ways of managing it. Otherwise, I feel people tend to think they don’t need professional advice and will deal with it on their own or even worse—disregard their struggle with stress.

Unfortunately the problem with not dealing with stress in effective ways is that a person may become overwhelmed and crash. In this state, people can develop serious mental and physical problems if they don’t address their ways of coping with stress. The University of Florida’s Counseling Center outlines some of these problems; developing ulcers, high blood pressure, muscular tension, depression, and mood swings.

If its one thing I have to say about dealing with stress, HUMOR helps a great deal. Often I think people associate stress with being a negative and even fearful state. However, I think it is important to gain perspective, sit back, and laugh once in awhile even if what you find humorous is not really that funny.

My Stress Had Taken On A Life Of Its Own
By Hillary Trautmann

Since the day I began to look at colleges, all I have known is stress. My parents constantly questioning me drove me nuts, me questioning myself about what I really wanted drove me nuts, and the fact that I had a deadline to decide my future was driving me nuts. When I finally did decide where I wanted to go to school, I felt stress-free, but as soon as I began college the stress was back. Now, as a third year student in college, stress has become a part of me. So what can I, and all other college students do about their stress?

First and foremost we must search to find where our stress is coming from. According to the University of Florida Counseling Center there are four sources of stress, which are, the environment, physiological sources, your own thoughts, and social stressors. So where is your stress coming from?

There are also many symptoms that come from stress. The University of Florida Counseling Center states that there are physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. Some of the physical symptoms are muscular tension, colds or other illnesses, ulcers, indigestion, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, headaches, and backaches. The emotional symptoms can include, irritability, depression, anger, fear or anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, and mood swings. The cognitive thoughts include forgetfulness, unwanted or repetitive thoughts, and difficulty concentrating.

So, who wants to deal with all of this? Luckily, there are ways to ward of stress. One of the easiest ways for college students like myself is to attempt to develop a balanced life style. I know that I am always running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Even when I do have time for things, I find myself not being able to concentrate and end up rushing around. The University of Florida Counseling Center states that a good way to develop a balanced life style is to make sure you get an appropriate amount of sleep, eat in a way that is healthy for you, exercise a few times a week, and stay on top of what you need to stay on top of. Ignoring your responsibilities because you are too stressed out will only make things worse in the long run.

A solution that I have found that works well for me is purchasing a planner. Although looking at everything you have to may seem stressful, just think about how good it will feel when you begin to cross things off your list! I will tell you, it feels amazing. You begin to feel accomplished and may even begin to realize that maybe you have been making things harder on yourself then they really are.

The best thing to do for you is really to give yourself some relaxation time. Even if it is only for a few minutes a day, sitting back and reflecting on your life in a positive light can make all of the difference, and hopefully make all of your problems disappear, and become solutions.

Problem: Stress - Solution: Cult
By Lianne Turner

I know that as a college student I am faced with daily pressures such as homework, my job, and constant fear of AIDS. These pressures often build up to an unbearable point that can cause all sorts of nasty symptoms such as ulcers, irritability, and even paranoid schizophrenia. When life gets me down, I turn to my friends, meditation, and of course, an organized religion.

Note sarcasm here. The University of Florida Counseling Center would like to offer you a simple set of solutions to getting over your daily stress problem. “Develop a balanced lifestyle”, “gain perspective by discussing problems”, “specific relaxation techniques”, and “clarify your values and develop a sense of life meaning” are all possibilities they offer in order to rid yourself of all the excessive stress you may be experiencing from college life. Is it just me, or is this starting to sound like a brochure for some creepy rehab center? I’m a college student, not an addict. I’ll go on.

Possible sources of stress may include: the environment, the physiological, your thoughts, and social stressors. All of which could be solved in one easy step. Just sign this declaration of your faith that says all your personal belongings are now part of the program’s assets and your problems will be gone forever. Along with your life in the outside world. The mothership will be coming to collect us all in 13 billion years.

Of course, some of the information the University of Florida Counseling Center provides is valuable. Examples of this would be things like eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, manage your time wisely, that sort of thing. All of these things could easily be solved by…an instructor, say? A 24/7 counselor perhaps? Someone who could micromanage your life for you, so you don’t have to. Bingo. Doesn’t it seem oddly convenient that, “The Counseling Center, as well as various other campus agencies, offer stress management groups,” yet “These techniques [are] easy to learn, but can be difficult to fit into your schedule”? I’ll bet this counseling center has a solution to that. Round the clock stress watch in their intensive care facility, where you have no worries at all, and are allowed to meditate as you please.

“Stress is often caused by general unhappiness and a sense of aimlessness or lack of purpose. People sometimes wind up making choices and living life styles that really don't fit them.” Here at the UFCC, we can help. We’ll tell you exactly what you want to be, and why. No decision, no problem! Join us in our quest for eternal salvation and we’ll throw in this complementary grey sweatsuit. Wear it every day.

In all seriousness, excessive stress is a problem that no college student will deny. We’ve all been plagued with multiple paper overload or procrastination regret, and the resulting consequences are usually devastating to our diets, sleep schedules, and the ears of anyone who will listen. If you’ve learned anything from the University of Florida Counseling Center and me, learn this. Do what feels right for your body and your mind, and don’t overload. If it’s too much, take a break and relax once in a while. You’ll regret it if you don’t. And you might end up joining a cult

What They Don’t Tell You About Stress
By Rayanne Mulieri

College, “an institution of higher learning”; we all know that the main objective of going to college is to receive an education that will help you make goals for your future and ultimately prepare you for a career. College also has many other definitions not stated in the dictionary, things such as partying, friends, work, and other distractions. All of these aspects of college life culminate and provide practically all college students with stress!

When you ask your parents, or friends what their college experience was like they will probably remember the fun they had, the parties they went to, and the lifelong friends they made. Rarely will they mention the homework load, crunch time during mid-terms and finals, and getting good grades while balancing their social and work schedule.

From the ages of 18 to 21 you are supposed to be having the “best time of your life”, no responsibilities of taxes, or a career. What a majority of people do not understand is that being a full-time college student is a career in itself, and can provide teens and young adults with just as much stress as those in the “working world”.

The University of Florida Counseling Center has managed to look at college from the perspective of a student and explain in depth what stress is, how it may affect students, and how stress can be handled. The Counseling Center demonstrates a good point when explaining that stress comes from not only your environment and what you do on a daily basis, but also from your inner thoughts and inner psyche. Psychological stress can be shown through mood swings, anger, and even depression.

The University of Florida states “stress is often caused by general unhappiness and a sense of aimlessness or lack of purpose. People sometimes wind up making choices and living life styles that really don't fit them. A student may be studying accounting when he or she really wants to be an artist, or he or she may have a wide circle of friends, but not really have the kind of intimate relationships that feel fulfilling.”

These statements really struck me because I, as well as most other college students feel pressured to know “what we want to be, and do with our lives” when in all honesty practically all college students have no idea how to answer that question. College went from being a time of exploration to a time in your life when you must practice your craft, bulk up your resume, and be prepared to get a job.

What can college students do when all of these decisions, and problems are going on around them? Relax! Your initial stress of schoolwork and your busy schedule may be what is fueling other forms of stress such as thinking about your future, and relationships. I know when I think about aspects of my life I currently find stressful I begin to get hyperbolic and stress out over things that cannot directly affect my life as of now.

As the Counseling Center at Florida University explains, you must “develop a balanced lifestyle, gain perspective, use relaxation techniques, and clarify your values”. Stress will never go away, it is natural and occurs within everybody’s lives, the best you can do is deal with it in a healthy fashion and never forget that some stress you have may even develop into something positive.

Generation ‘Stress’
By Carrie Spinney

Student stress is becoming a major problem these days with the youth of our generation. Parents are demanding more, school systems are demanding more, and in turn, the youths are demanding more of themselves.

The stress starts with preschool. Parents scramble to enroll their children in the most competitive program available, even at costs of $20,000+ per year, if it means better chances for their academic future. According to the New York Times, after the few children are enrolled in the program, the parents keep the children enrolled for as long as possible, sometimes waiting until the children are pushing seven to put them in kindergarten.

This is an outrage. Children at such a young age should not be concerned with competing against their fellow youth to win in the school game. It is unhealthy and could lead to awful consequences.

The older generation should begin taking some responsibility for the stress of our youths. At the same time, when the child is becoming the golden member of our society, our society is treating them like slaves.

As a nanny of many years, I have carted child after child to Spanish class on Monday, Soccer on Tuesday, Ballet on Wednesday, Math on Thursday, and Art on Friday. And then the weekend entails practicing these endeavors, and on the side, remember, the child should be a social genius.

After years of putting children through this mess, it is no wonder the University of Florida Counseling Center has began extensive studies on the issue of student stress. According to them, the competition for grades, the need to perform, relationships, career choice, and many other aspects of the college environment cause stress.

UFCC says that stress can come from many sources including their environment which includes noise, traffic and crowding, and the weather; physiological-examples include illness, injuries, hormonal fluctuations, and inadequate sleep or nutrition; their thoughts- negative self-talk, catastrophizing, and perfectionism; social stressors-examples include financial problems, work demands, social events, and losing a loved one.

These are all issues that students face on daily basis, but hardly get credit for, because the generation above them remembers school in an idyllic way, forgetting the added stress this generation faces. More students than ever are competing for the prestigious schools to get their degrees. And no longer will one degree suffice. Now it is essential for a good job that a student receives their advanced degree.

According to UFCC, the older generation should ensure that the younger generations learn to understand their role in stress situations. When they can target their stresses, they can more effectively rid them.

Students can learn to develop a balanced life-style and effective personal organization through learning specific relaxation techniques. Through these techniques, the students can gain perspective on problems by discussing them. Students should clarify their values and develop a sense of spirituality that is theirs and not their parents.

Keep in mind, not all stress is bad, but the stress that has been placed on the youth of our generation is cruel and unneeded. Over-stress can cause the physical problems of illnesses, ulcers, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, and headaches; or the emotional problems of irritability, depression, anger; or the cognitive symptoms of forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating.

As a call to the older and wiser generation, please stop the bombardment of duties on our youth that might in the end, cause a major crash and ruin of a generation.

Procrastination Is The New Stress
By Emily Yetter

If you ask a college student what they like best about school, the majority of the time their response will deal with the social scene and the parties they have attended. You might get the “my classes are pretty cool” or “ I really dislike this one professor” response, but most of the time it will be about the partying and not the academics. To actually engage in a conversation about how classes are; one would have to specify the ‘academics’ aspect, not the social part. I’m not implying that every student is like this but there are a fair amount that care much more about what party they will be going to next than what will happen in their next class.

Students who are more interested in partying rather than doing their schoolwork can run into the evil situation of procrastination. Procrastination is when someone constantly puts off something that they know has to get done at some point. I feel that procrastination is the reason why most college kids are stressed out. There will always be that paper that you know you should have done when it was first assigned but instead you waited until the last possible second because things you would rather be doing kept occurring. It happens to everyone. You are carefree about having to do the paper because you know that eventually it will be written even though you might have to stay up the entire night to turn it in on time.

When you procrastinate, you are not giving yourself a lot of time to think about the topic and write several drafts before you turn it in. Procrastination does not allow you to turn in your best work, because there is no longer time to do your best work, but just mediocre work that you are happy to be done with. The stress that students experience in college will be cramped and excessive stress for a short amount of time before once again the student is carefree and back on the path of procrastination.

Procrastination to stress is an ongoing cycle. It will always become excessive when it is time to write the big paper, but then flex back out when the cramming is over. Irritability, fear or anxiety and feeling overwhelmed are just a few of the emotional symptoms that occur when stressed. These are all a result and feeling of procrastination as well.

It is my understanding that college should be a fun time where you socialize and party all the time, but there has to be a balance of school and fun. Most college students will learn this after the first semester when they wait until the last minute and become very stressed. Playing catch up on every assignment will not lead you to a healthy college experience, but a very stressed out one. It is about finding a balance in social activities and schoolwork to manage your time effectively.

You Can Learn To Control Everyday Stress
By Alee Morrison

It is completely accurate to say that students these days are loaded with so much on their plates that the idea of a stress-free life seems like a fairytale that would take place in a far-off land. Stress has become a part of our everyday lives as students.

It can be caused by numerous things that we deal with daily, from the mountainous piles of schoolwork to the competition we fight everyday with our eyes, begging them to stay opened for one more hour in order to finish a paper. From the need to keep a social status and life while managing enough time to finish the necessary work, to feeling the need for our mother’s homemade muffins in the mornings instead of the venti skim latte from Starbucks that we must have in order to begin our day in a productive state.

No matter the cause of the stress we experience, it is important to treat it in some way everyday to avoid the possibility of going insane. Studies have found that yoga provides a stress free feel to one’s day due to the relaxation and breathing exercises. Breathing is a huge part of relaxation that we unfortunately forget to take time to do. Of course, we breathe naturally in order to survive, but we must take a few minutes out of our frenzied schedules to merely suck in air deeply through our noses and exhale through our mouths. This should be done for a few minutes throughout the day as it provides the opportunity to clear our minds of anything bothersome and simply focus on the air we are breathing in and out.

By allowing thirty extra minutes in the morning before beginning a day filled with any type of work, we are able to have time that our bodies and minds need to themselves to concentrate on being who we truly are before we must deal with our everyday routines of note taking, writing papers, doing math problems, hearing lectures, or maybe even listening to our boss complain about the lack of organization at work. These extra minutes that we take out of our day can used by reading for pleasure, sitting and thinking about things unrelated to school and work, practicing yoga and reconnecting the body with the mind, or even going for a jog.

It is important to begin your morning with emphasis on yourself, your mind and your body. This is unfortunately a concept we overlook because we are too tired to wake up thirty minutes early, or we have some work to finish before rushing to class, but it is a form of relaxation for you brain as well as your muscles.

Time management is another key aspect of keeping life as stress free as possible. This is a concept that is generally learned during our college years as we are now beginning to face life in the real world. (This is quite a scary thought, being a college student myself. I enjoyed a world where my parents paid for my meals, cleaned my room, and established that my only job in high school was to make good grades. Now, I am living in a daunting place where I go to work a few times a week to pay for my meals and clean my room myself). I was used to a world where the only time management that I had to think about was getting my homework done before dance class every night.

Now I am bogged down with deadlines, a work schedule, and a social atmosphere along with every other college student my age. It is hard for us to actually find time to spend with our friends without thinking in the back of our minds how we should really be at home or in the library glued to a computer writing our seven page paper that is due in a few days. However, balance is an essential ingredient in life. If we live life focused solely on the completion of school work, then we will miss out on important parts of life that we should be experiencing as young people in our twenties. On the other hand, if we only focus on these fun and exciting times we are having, then we will fail at our schoolwork resulting in a bad and useless college experience.

The key to living a less stressful life is to remember that you are a person who exists on this planet and needs time outside and away from any type of work or anything that causes a stressful feeling in the mind or in the body. We must take time to appreciate our natural state of being and reward who we are with a few minutes of personal gratification in any form that suits one’s brain and/or body.

Stress Stinks!
By Lauren Mills

An old, redundant deodorant commercial used to exclaim, “Stress Stinks! Arrid Works!” Although I do not agree with the latter part of the statement, stress sure does stink. And when stress is present, it makes everything else in life seem stinky too.

If you are a student, you will always smell stress around exam time. Depending on how you deal with it, this is a time of all-nighters, chain smoking, pig out sessions, mental breakdowns, face breakouts, and/or hours spent in the library. I know the routine. I have been there and done that for many years now. Some years are better than others and it has nothing to do with the amount of work I have, only how I deal with it. Since I have done it all, I want to pass on to you what has worked for me so the next time you get a whiff of stress, you know what to do.

Exam season comes and everything else goes down with it. Your workload is not the only thing that is a source of your stress. According to the University of Florida Counseling Center, the environment, your thoughts, and social stressors all can lead to stress. Examples of environment triggers like “noise, pollution, traffic and crowding, and the weather,” have definitely impacted me on some of my most stressful days.

Just imagine. It is a cold and rainy Friday morning. You go to take your dog for a walk but he refuses to go outside because the size of the raindrops are larger than his head. It is pouring so hard you can not even see two feet in front of you. You, meanwhile, are dancing around the apartment, tidying up the place because your best friend from out of town is due any minute. You are overjoyed and nobody, not even the rain, can take that away from you. Take the same weather conditions on a Monday morning. You have an exam in an hour and you step outside and you throw your arms up in anger. On any other day, rain is infuriating but when stress exists, rain can be intolerable.

The University of Florida Counseling Center suggests dealing with stress by developing a balanced lifestyle, discussing your problems with friends to gain perspective, using specific techniques for relaxation, and clarifying your values. These are all great ideas. A balanced lifestyle is not only healthy, but also less stressful. “The right balance of sleep, food, exercise, work, school, and recreation is crucial. Some people are in a constant state of trying to catch up…part of this problem, for many students, is not being well organized.”

Getting the right amount of sleep and food and work and school sounds appealing to anybody, but you have to manage your time in order to do it well. By using a planner or calendar, you can divide your school work into little increments everyday to decrease the workload. This way, you can still make time everyday for your friends, exercise, and much needed sleep.

Having friends to fall back on during stressful times is a great way to cope too. But when you can not rely on a friend to lift your spirits, you need to be able to do it on your own. UFCC recommends doing relaxation techniques like sitting alone in silence and breathing. I have always been one to believe that exercise is a good way to get rid of stress. A way that I relax and clear my mind is by taking a long walk. The fresh air, the different faces and sounds are great distractions that can get your mind off of anything.

Stress stinks. And when Arrid doesn’t work, managing your time, talking to friends, and exercising will. When you can expect stress to come, take action. Prevent it. You don’t need it, nor do you need that pack of cigarettes or box of doughnuts or cluster of pimples on your chin. This all can be avoided, so don’t sweat it.

Stress Be Gone
By Alex DeGroff

The stress experienced by every college student brought on by hectic schedules and heavy workloads can be healthy, according to the University of Florida Counseling Center.

Now into my junior year of college, I understand that it is easy to fall victim to the sleepless nights. We lay in bed wondering what we forgot to do. Many have class all day, homework till bed. Some days we can’t even fit in a simple conversation here and there. Before we finish our psychology homework, we have already moved onto the biology paper, then off to work. For most, this is the five days of hell, if not six or seven.

Living like this can take its toll on every aspect of life. While attempting to be successful in every subject, it can often result in being successful in none. Little time can be put towards healthy relationships. Thinking of a future career takes priority over keeping oneself sane for the time being. We, yes, you and I, can take control of our lives again. There will still be stress. But we will understand the stress, and direct it towards bettering ourselves.

It begins with understanding where the stress is coming from. According to the UFCC, stress comes from multiple facets. Stresses caused by one’s environment include “noise, pollution, traffic, crowding, and the weather.” Physiological stresses can be attributed to, “illness, injuries, hormonal fluctuations, and inadequate sleep or nutrition.” We often create our own stress with negative self-talk, catastrophizing and perfectionism. Social stressors, such as financial problems, work demands, social events, and losing loved ones can also take its toll.

While I may have just described your life, stress also creates physical and emotional symptoms. Physical symptoms can include everything from muscular tension, colds, high blood pressure, indigestions, to ulcers, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, headaches, and backaches. Emotional symptoms include irritability, depression, anger, fear or anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, and mood swings. Forgetfulness, unwanted or repetitive thoughts and difficulty concentrating can also be attributed to stress.

OK, we have all probably diagnosed ourselves with being overstressed. Now turning that stress into something positive is the hard part. According to University of Florida Counseling Center, creating a balanced lifestyle is key. The balance needs to occur between “sleep, food, exercise, work, school, and recreation.” In order to be truly balanced, one must become organized and time management can be the tallest hurdle.

The UFCC believes that discussing your problem with friends can be key in the self-improving process. While talking to close friends it is easier to gain new perspectives in situations that once felt like catastrophes. They state that verbalizing one’s concerns can help give an individual a sense of control.

The UFCC feels that relaxation techniques are valuable tools that can help manage stress. Mediation, self-hypnosis, and deep muscle relaxation are such techniques. Just a short time of relaxation can put everything in perspective and ease the stress. For myself, playing the piano was where I took control of my anxieties.

Clarifying our values and developing a sense of meaning is the last step in the UFCC’s guide to a less stressful life. Finding a meaning to life, for me it is God, gives reason to all the hard work we put into every single day. Knowing that I have something to live for puts the stress in perspective making it easier to direct towards self-improvement.

Life doesn’t have to be the living hell that so many of us our living through. While it may not seem so, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. While taking control of our stress will result in a better college lifestyle, it will ultimately result in better and healthier lives.

New Yorkers Are Stressed Out!
By Samantha Davies

New York City is a place of high volume, constant traffic, and a never ending flow of people. For those of us who live here these elements may prove to be, at times, overwhelming. After reading the stress report from the University of Florida’s Counseling Center, it occurred to this New Yorker that our environment is the cause for much of the stress seen in New York’s citizens.

The other day I forced myself to wake up at eight a.m., write a paper, get to class, and then make it to work on time. Unfortunately, I only had thirty minutes to get from 71st to Spring Street and it was the height of rush hour. I walked out of the school and of course there was not a single cab in sight. It is safe to say, I was completely stressed. Internally, I was freaking out, and externally I was taking it out on the New Yorkers around me. I found myself shoving people and walking with muscular tension.

New York is the capital of the world, but it is also proving to be the world capital of stress. We live in an environment of “pollution”, “traffic”, “crowding,” “noise” and inclement weather. All of which, according to the University of Florida counseling center are the sources of stress caused by the environment in which one lives.

Most of America lives in suburban environments, where they do not have to deal with a daily fight for a cab or traveling in an confined underground tube of transportation. In movies, New Yorkers are portrayed as mean, irritable, and angered citizens. According to the University of Flordia’s counseling center, these are also emotional symptoms of stress. But how can New Yorker’s avoid being constantly stressed? I mean, we live in a place that exemplifies almost all of the counseling center’s distinguished primary sources of stress. It is no wonder most people walk around with mean faces...We’re stressed out.

Walking down the street where you only see frowns, most likely can cause stress as well. Professor Zucker of Marymount Manhattan College, once said that after 9/11, New York was the best place to live. Everyone was so friendly, and it was because we all shared a collective feeling. We all shared a common understanding. Well, it is time that we share an understanding of why the man walking next to us is sending out anger and irritable vibes.

There are many ways for us to manage our stress. The counseling center writes, to “spend a short period of time in a state of profound relaxation,” will reduce stress. New Yorkers are always in a constant state of trying to catch up. So the question remains when do we have this “profound” time? The center says that 15 minutes of silence will lessen your stress. So the next time your standing on the sardine packed 6 train, take the time to read the poetry in motion ads on the wall. Or simply sit in your seat, close your eyes and reduce your stress.

College: The Best Time Of Our Lives?
By Bianca Busketta

Stress- Can’t live with it, can’t live without it. This should be the new motto for every college student of this generation. While predecessors have talked of college as a fun and carefree atmosphere filled with parties and campuses, the new generation of college student is dealing more with stress. Most college students are trying to afford to pay for expensive college tuition on their own, dealing with the AIDS epidemic, lack of well paying jobs, and soaring prices of textbooks and food. We are also scrounging to afford their party lifestyle, along with gaining a degree. All this responsibility thrown at a student at once is what is leading to excessive amounts of stress. So, while we are still proclaiming these are the best years of our lives, let’s look at the harm this stressful lifestyle is doing.

According to the University of Florida Counseling Center, excessive amounts of stress can lead to physical, emotional, and cognitive side effects. These symptoms include some of the following: muscular tension, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, and forgetfulness. This is only to name a few. The UFCC says not to fear and that there are ways to balance out levels of stress. Balancing levels of sleep, exercise, food, work, school, and recreation is what a college student needs to lead a healthy life without these possible side effects.

When I think about these words of wisdom, is it really possible to balance all of these options in our lives? May be it’s the excessive amounts of stress that keep us going, our hearts beating fast, and allows us to get all our responsibilities plus more out of the way. In all honesty, a college student cannot balance all of these things without feeling overwhelmed. And with our lifestyles, maybe stress is integrated with having the time of our lives in college. We as college students should have an unbalanced lifestyle with stress for as long as we can before we have to settle down with a job and a family.

When I think of a college student being told to get a balanced, good night’s sleep it makes me laugh. Think of a situation in this context - would you rather hang out with friends until four in the morning to wakeup for a 10 a.m. class the next day? Or go to bed early to balance out your stress level? I’m sure most would pick the first option. It may be lead to more stress with waking up early, but I would take stress over missed college memories.

College life is an excuse to lead unbalanced lives. It is a way to learn to be the biggest procrastinators in the world, or to stay up studying until 6 a.m. for an exam at 7. It is our last chance for rebellion before we have to become adults. If I had to choose between dealing a stressful life, or leading a boring “balanced” existence my answer would be to bring on the ulcers, indigestion, and forgetfulness. Anyways, this is the time of our lives.

Stressing Over Your Goals And Aspirations
By Michelle Bonarrigo

No doubt college life is bound to be stressful at some point. Papers and other homework will seem very tedious at times. College is not only a time of learning factual material and becoming booksmart, but a time to figure out who you are, what you want to become, what you value and who you should surround yourself with. Perhaps you dream of attaching the title doctor, officer or CEO to your name. With these aspirations comes a series of deadlines and classes that may have nothing to do with your goal. A student may wonder why they have to write a 12-page paper on marine life when their college major is criminal justice.

College is also expensive and requires students to work throughout their semester in order to pay off loans. In this situation, a student must balance their school life, homework life, work life and social life. As I pondered over what college has brought to my own life, I remembered a very humorous and pessimistic saying that a good friend of mine, a college graduate , quotes to me when I stress out over school, “C’s get degrees”.

As I laughed over this I realized that it is very true but also sad because when I graduate from college and attempt to find a job, I highly doubt an employer will hire a person they feel is just simply average. So much of getting a job these days is because of personality, past experience with certain jobs and special skills. You do not have to put on a job application that you failed a midterm in college.

The feeling of stress comes from feeling overwhelmed with pleasing others. When a student finds his or her drive in life, the reason this person feels they exist, life for them is set. Life without purpose causes stress and feelings of recklessness. Some find their purpose sooner than others, while some don’t have time to do such soul searching and end up in a career they only got into because they feel that the career path is practical rather than meaningful to them. Students must take classes that will broaden their horizons and expand their thoughts on life and what their life means to them. College is the opportunity to learn and grow and mold yourself into something beautiful and meaningful.

Yes, We Really Do Live In A Prozac Nation
By Lindsey Dow

About a year and a half ago, it was my freshman year (December 2004), which was my first experience of dealing with exam week. Bored and needing a break from studying, I remember checking my Buddy List on AOL Instant Messenger and catching a friend’s away message, which read:

Today we salute you -- stressed out college student during exam week. As you sit in your lonely cubicle in the library, doped up on Starbucks & Adderall, you think to yourself: ‘Am I ever going to need to know this stuff in life?’ The distractions are tempting and you have suddenly diagnosed yourself with ADD along with Advanced Delusionary Schizophrenia with Involuntary Narcissistic Rage. I'm sure by now you know exactly what everyone is doing because you have checked your buddy list 800 times. Summer break is just days away, and your Prozac prescription will be in tomorrow. So crack open an ice cold Bud Light after that last exam, because for most of us Christmas Break will be spent in rehab.

Reading this cracked me up, because it is a perfect description of college students today. Of the four primary sources of stress, listed by the University of Florida Counseling Center, I would say that social factors are the most common cause of stress for college students. Social factors refer to interpersonal (friends and romantic), work, financial and academic-related causes for stress. The first source is the "environment," which includes noise, pollution, traffic and crowding, and the weather. I would agree cause stress, but only temporarily.

In my opinion, the environment would be the least cause of long-term stress because each of the examples are not lasting. They are frustrating inconveniences that are solved once the incident is over. For example, crowdedness causes stress when one is trying to push through a group of people in order to reach their destination or find someone, but once one has pushed through the crowd of people and the goal is achieved, there is no longer a cause for stress. Once overcome, environmental stress will not affect a person a day later, or even an hour later. The same is true for all the other examples given for the first source of stress.

The second primary cause of stress is "physiological," which includes illness, injuries, hormonal fluctuations, and inadequate sleep or nutrition. I am not one to comment on the stress behind a serious illness, because I have never suffered anything more severe then the flu. Having never suffered a serious illness, I can only begin to imagine what suffering from one could do to a person’s health, both mentally and physically. I imagine that would cause more stress than any of the social factors listed. However, I assume that the majority of college students do not suffer from a serious illness. In terms of nutrition and poor sleeping habits, I have yet to meet a college student who does not have poor eating habits and get enough rest. That being said, most students still seem to manage well enough without proper nutrition and rest, which is why I would eliminate that as the most common cause of stress.

As for the third primary cause of stress, which is “your thoughts" - the way you think affects how you respond. Negative self-talk, catastrophizing, and perfectionism all contribute to increased stress,” I agree. The way one inwardly (mentally) approaches a situation has everything to do with the outward response to the given task at hand. However, I would say that the majority of adults, including college students, have at least one form of negative thinking pattern that is self-defeating. I also believe that most of the situations in which college students respond to is the last factor, according to the article, of the four primary sources of stress: “social stressors," which include financial problems, work demands, social events, and losing a loved one.”

The reason I believe that social stressors are the most common cause for college students feeling stressed out is because all four of those factors play a huge role in the average college student’s life. For most students, it is their first time living on their own and, as a result, experience a rude-awakening when learning to manage their money. Money goes fast for the average college student, given the high demand and opportunity to attend social events, which almost always involve spending money. Not having enough money limits a person in countless ways, from going out to dinner to being able to afford a cab when running late for class to be able to pay the cable bill. The average college student tends to spend more then he/she can afford, because, without a college degree, most students do not qualify for a high-paying salary. Not to mention, schoolwork. Schoolwork is often very demanding and hard to fit into one’s schedule between worrying about money, going to work to earn that little bit of extra cash and high demands to go out and attend social events, one can certainly be overwhelmed. One must wonder how these students are able to stay awake.

The take away message that I copied at the beginning of this commentary was accurate about the common abuse of Adderall. Adderall is a popular stimulant medication used and prescribed to help treat the symptoms of the ever over-diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder, which is also known as ADD. Adderall is a controlled substance but has a high potential for abuse and dependency because one’s tolerance to the medication develops quickly. As a result, I know of many college students from all over the country who feel that Adderall is necessary in order to do well academically. We live in a Prozac Nation—have you ever seen that movie? I tend to agree that in looking for a quick-fix for every stressful or unpleasant feeling, our society ends up causing more stress then was there to begin with.

This Is Not Stress
By Kate Nichols

To be completely honest, I never actually feel stressed. What, you say? Never stressed? It is true. I am a full-time college student with a part-time job. I am swamped with hobbies that I thoroughly enjoy and surrounded by the sounds of a noisy city. I have meaningful relationships that require constant tending, and I carry around a day-planner with barely any space left to write. I also get a good night sleep no less than six days a week. I have healthy eating habits and a varying exercise regime. In fact, the only aspect of my life that might signal an excess of stress is my two-cups-of-coffee-a-day habit. Really, it’s just my love for the aroma of a perfectly roasted bean inside a tall cardboard cup. An enjoyable life with no stress: Euphoria? I think not.

All of my friends, classmates, acquaintances, and etcetera – all seem to be suffering from excess stress. They complain constantly, all wishing they weren’t so “stressed out.” They never have time to eat, never sleep until three a.m., and always turn in assignments milliseconds before they are due. Yet, I find it hard to sympathize when my schedule looks quite similar to theirs. My secret? It’s not stress until you name it so. Running across town to turn in a paper, tossing and turning about one thing or the other, grabbing a power bar to last for breakfast lunch and dinner – all things I have done. To me, it’s called a busy day, or a lot to do.

When you let all the factors consume you at once, that is when it becomes stress. No human can worry about twenty-seven different things and remain calm. In taking things one day at a time, you are able to accomplish each task separately, and sanely. Time management has a lot to do with combating the strains of everyday life. With ten things to do and only five minutes to do them, one can easily feel overwhelmed. But by assessing problems and responsibilities with a positive, open mind, so many burdens can be eliminated.

With so many different techniques to manage stress, it can be hard to select what you feel is the most suited for you. I say do whatever feels natural. If you have a ten-page paper due tomorrow and zero pages completed thus far, panic will automatically set in. You think - failure from class, anger from parents, and disappointment with oneself – before the title page is even constructed. So many students feel “stressed” before they even have a chance to figure out why. This is the moment where you need to find a natural solution. Whether it be a cup of tea, a twenty minute nap, or counting backwards from one hundred and seventeen – find something that will refresh you and remind you that it is only a paper, only an argument, only a deadline, only life. As humans, we waste so much time complaining about stress, feelings stressed and worrying about stress when we could be getting rid of whatever is bothering us in the first place. I am a college student and I am never stressed. What works for me might work for you, so, I say: one day at a time, one foot in front of the other. You are only stressed when you call it so.

The Best Years of Our Lives Are Also The Most Stressful
By Roland Trafton

Forget the Avian Bird Flu, as a college student there is a more serious problem that handicaps a student’s lifestyle and academics: stress. What with all the concerns of competition amongst fellow echo generation over achievers in the academic field, there is a pressing need to perform, and not just to perform, but to perform well. Also, leading contributors for college students include turbulent relationships that often follow the “adult sleep away camp” mentality of the institution. Perhaps a girlfriend or boyfriend has found the urge to go find other girlfriends or boyfriends. Also note, that a college student feels intense pressure to try and choose a career for them in the next four years.

But also realize, that stress is not always a bad thing. Particularly, for those Echos that might need that little extra push to keep them on track. In fact, some stress can be very therapeutic. If there was no stress at all, then life would be somewhat of a breeze, and incidentally, very boring.

If you are a student, look out for these sources of stress: It can often come from the environment, meaning noise pollution around you, traffic, large crowds, and even unfavorable weather. But don’t just look to your environment, look to yourself; some sources of stress can include poor sleep, poor nutrition, poor health, and even a poor state of emotional attachment. Yes, even your social life can lead to stress. It’s best to avoid the sources of stress before you start feeling the symptoms.

You’ll know you are starting to feel stressed when you experience a sickness, muscular tension, high blood pressure, trouble sleeping, fatigue, headaches, or backaches. But don’t just look at what your body inside you is doing, also look at what is going on around you, the symptoms of stress also include: irritability towards others, depression, anger, mood swings, forgetfulness, or the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Now, this can sound very stressful just reading this, but fear not for there are ways to reverse these stressful feelings, a ‘cure’ if you will, that includes: Developing a balanced lifestyle, meaning, keep in good health including a proper diet, and a proper sleep pattern (this can prove to be quite complicated on the schedule of a college student, but it must be done.) Also elementary in developing a balanced lifestyle can be smart scheduling. Try not to “race the clock”, and keep a healthy, well-timed schedule that leads to a comfortable lifestyle.

If there is a problem, discuss it. Like a bad disease, stress can only get worse if it is not dealt with. Sometimes, our view as human beings can become very narrow in regard to the case of perspective. It is not weak to seek the advice of others, not just to seek advice, but sometimes it can be therapeutic in just venting out your problems and organizing them. If any of these techniques don’t help you, then try enrolling in some sort of course involving meditation or any other therapeutic element. But most of all, find some sort of purpose. Sitting in your room alone, for hours on end, is a major factor in depression. Aimlessness can bring one down, in ways that are far above the rest of the problems.

So if you are a college student feeling stressed, don’t simply ignore it. Like any other health problem, it usually gets worse when not treated. Being in college can often be the most stressful period of our lives; but don’t let it go untreated, do something so that you can stay on track and enjoy the best years of our lives. Relax.

Who Said It Would Be Easy?
By Joanna Palmer

College is hard. It’s not primarily the work. It’s not specifically the social scene. It’s not particularly being afraid of contracting a venereal disease. College is hard because a student is between being a child and becoming an adult. It’s a difficult balance between the two: A college student wants to stay up late and party like adults do, but still want to call home for money, mooch food from friends and cry over insignificant, isolated scenarios like children do. The one factor that remains constant from childhood to adulthood is stress. It may vary in the amount one retains and it may vary in what it is triggered by, but nonetheless, stress is always present in life.

As a child, one tends to become stressed by small, arbitrary events. Last picked at kickball, being caught picking your nose, having to learn the preamble to the Constitution; all of these events can cause stress to a child. When a person grows into an adult, he/she may assume that small infractions like these will no longer affect levels of stress. The University of Florida Counseling Center seems to think differently. One of their guidelines to reducing stress is to gain perspective of your problems by discussing them. This is true for a person at any age. My father always says, “This too shall pass.”

While irritating to hear, this statement is true. College students are wrapped in a slew of difficult choices and situations such as choosing the right major and career, taking the right steps to achieve their long term goals, and making safe choices that won’t come back to haunt them far into adulthood. However, with issues like social acceptance, pregnancy scares, peer pressure, exorbitant amounts of term papers and exams a student becomes overwhelmed and concerned primarily with the issues that affect them at the precise moment they are dealing with them. It becomes easy to forget what is to come in the future and how to deal with the issues that may arise later in life.

This is where the transition between child and adult becomes tricky. Although the student is dealing with adult issues, they manage them in a child like manner. This leads to child like reactions to stress. The Counseling Center names some of the symptoms of stress to be irritability, depression, anger, anxiety, mood swings, headaches and other physical ailments, and difficulty concentrating. All of these symptoms are reminiscent of an agitated child. It begs to question how college students are expected to manage their stress in an adult way, as the Counseling Center advises that they should: “Develop a balanced lifestyle“, “gain perspective by discussing problems” use relaxation techniques, “clarify your values and develop a sense of life meaning”.

Realizing that these are wise techniques to use in managing stress and going through with them calls for an extreme sense of maturity on the student’s part. While it is sound advice, the students also need to realize that dealing with such high levels of stress can reduce a college student to a feeling of childishness. They may feel as though their only option is to run home to their parents in search on solace. What the University of Florida’s team of counselors must understand is that these students must be taught that it is okay to have these feelings. They must grasp that stress is not something one can grow out of. Children experience it as well as adults, and at the juncture that they are at, a college student has every right and capability to experience stress in both ways: as a child and adult. They are dealing with issues that affect both sides of the spectrum. They are still living with immature people that act in childish ways such as starting rumors, badmouthing each other, and forming clicks. On the other hand, they are trying to balance work, studies, financial obligations, social prowess, and extracurricular endeavors.

Unless students are given the proper tools and information to appropriately differentiate between stress that “shall pass” and stress that includes factors that may affect the rest of their lives, they may be stuck inside their dorm rooms questioning whether it is worth it to come out. In addition to this, students must be taught that it is okay to allow childish issues cause stress, but that they must deal with the resulting stress in an adult way. Again, the balance between adulthood and childhood comes into fruition. Given a shove in the right direction, college students can make it on the adult side of the spectrum.

Your College Environment Could Really Make You Crazy
By Alexandra Smyth

Stress. It’s the archenemy of every college student. It lurks in dark corners, waiting for your weakest moments. Partied too late last night and now you’re cramming for your midterm at 5:00? Stress is right there with you! Is your roommate making huge messes and being unbearably noisy? Sounds like your roommate invited stress in to hang out with you! In all seriousness though, stress is a part of every college student’s life. It’s just a fact we’ve got to face. We’re living in a new environment with all sorts of contributing factors like massive amounts of school work, the temptation to party all the time, cafeteria food, living with roommates. It all adds up. It’s enough to make a person crazy! That’s why it’s so important for every college student to find techniques that help him or her to manage their stress.

So how do you manage stress? Well, first of all, it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms of being stressed. According to the University of Florida Counseling Center, there are four main sources of stress. These sources are: the environment, physiological sources, your thoughts, and social stressors. The University of Florida Counseling Center also lists a variety of symptoms that can be caused by these stressors, which include physiological symptoms, emotional symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Some of the physiological symptoms include muscular tension, colds or other illnesses, high blood pressure, trouble sleeping, and ulcers. Some of the emotional symptoms include irritability, depression, anger, mood swings, and feeling overwhelmed. The cognitive symptoms include forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, and unwanted thoughts. Do any of these sound familiar? If so, there’s probably a decent amount of stress in your life. Now it’s time to figure out how to manage your stress.

The University of Florida’s Counseling Center has several recommendations for ways to deal with stress. Their first recommendation is that college students try to live a balanced lifestyle. Seems like common sense, right? Well, for college students that’s not always the case. It seems like we’re being pulled in twenty different directions at one. For some students, the key to reducing stress may simply be to sit back and try to balance out all their activities, making sure that they’re getting enough sleep, food, relaxation time, and study time. Since stress affects everyone differently, this approach might not work for everyone. The next recommendation by the University of Florida Counseling Center is that students discuss the stress in their lives with an empathetic peer. For some people, simply verbalizing what is causing them stress may help them gain insight into how to deal with it or what to do about it. An empathetic peer might also have good insight into your problems. Another recommendation is that students practice relaxation techniques.

The University of Florida Counseling Center recommends that students take a course in relaxation techniques; though it a course is unavailable, they list several other options, such as setting aside 15 minutes a day to sit quietly, or going for a ten minute walk. Their final suggestion is that students clarify their values and find their life meaning. According to the University of Florida Counseling Center, many students find themselves stressed because they feel like they are directionless and without a life purpose. They suggest students focus on what they want out of life, and suggest that spirituality might help also. Of course, these are all suggestions, and not all of them will work for everybody. However, they are a start, and students can explore them and figure out what works best for them at reducing their levels of stress.

So, stress. It’s always going to be a part of college life. That’s just the way it is. Hate it all you want, it’s going to be there, waiting for you. Instead of freaking out about stress though, look into a way to deal with it. It’s much more productive than sitting in your underwear, eating Oreos instead of studying for that midterm in two hours.

Your Fond College Memories Will Likely Delete Those Stressful Days
By Ryan Trostle

In today’s society, stress is something that is implied. Everyone is going to have it and they are going to have to try and deal with it. Stress is not going to be cured anytime soon, and no matter what stage of your life you are in, stress will always be that little beast that is haunting you. Stress is developed from everything; your job, the kids, you family, pressures on doing better, even thinking about times to walk you dog. Most of the time these all can cause some severe stress. They don’t always have to though; I think a lot of it has to do with the way you perceive the issues at hand.

Most people think back about their college years as times of fun and games. Laughs were always accompanied with friends and grades seem to disappear when thinking back on this past. It seems to me that people always want to be somewhere in their past that they are not anymore. Do people forget about the tedious amounts of work that they used to have to do? While some of the issues are still the same, such as relationships, many have changed completely. Your college years are very stressful, no matter what you want to think later in life. The main issue is how you manage that stress. Even if that stress is in college or fifty years later.

The University of Florida Counseling Center released five guidelines that would help students manage their stress. Understand your role in stress reactions, develop a balanced life-style and effective personal organization, learn specific relaxation techniques, gain perspective on problems by discussing them, and clarify your values and develop a sense of spirituality. While these guidelines all some great, they never seem to really work. I know in my lifetime, I have heard each of these a thousand times. If we did a study about the average student that actually paid attention to these guidelines, I am sure we would find them to be far fewer than five percent of the student population.

While the Counseling Center also gives us a list of physical symptoms that you would feel when under stress, it once again resonates that same thing that we have all heard for the past 20 or so years. The facts are that the average student never gets the right balance of food, sleep, exercise, school, and recreation. So, they are never going to be as healthy as they were during the high school years. Moving out on your own can be a stressful but also exciting time. You can give the student all of the relaxation techniques that you want, but until they decide to manage their time better, nothing is really going to change.