Stress Management Strategies In College Students

The term “stress” is commonly thrown around and used to describe a negative feeling, but it is important to note that many activities/occupations require some degree of stress. Goals and dreams are transformed into reality through the sphere of stress, as people realize that coming face to face with what is considered difficult is what allows them to live a healthy and active life. Stress is needed on a day-to-day basis, but what occurs many a times is a person’s inability to handle the great demand that stress places on them. Stress involves many things, but overall stress is defined as “the demand made on an organism to adapt, cope, or adjust” (Holinka, 2015 ). The ability to adapt, cope, and adjust is important in confronting the challenges …show more content…
One major stress management strategy college students can use is promoting a positive attitude when things seem overwhelming. It was discovered that positive thinking and laughter “stimulates the body to secrete natural painkillers- endorphins, which stimulates good spirits ” (Strumska-Cylwik, 2013). An internal locus of control can be a buffer against stress, as people with low levels of stress had higher levels of an internal locus of control (Roddenberry et al., 2010). If a person constantly believes that situations are out of their control they tend to stress over the outcome. To manage stress a person must believe that they have control over their life and stress. A second major stress management strategy is adopting healthier practices. A study was performed to show how lower stressed students tended to perform health promotion exercises (Li et al., 2013). This is evidence that if a student who prioritizes their own well-being tend to have lower levels of stress, while it was previously shown that higher stressed students did not get enough sleep and ate very unhealthy foods. Another stress management strategy is having alone time. According to APA’s 2012 Stress in America survey, more than 40% of adults stay awake at night due to stress and it is recommended to remove “distractions such as …show more content…
This is no better seen than in college. College students are exposed to many stressors, mainly a new sense of freedom, academics, finance, future options, and relationship changes. To counteract these stressors students must rely on stress management strategies like having a positive attitude, performing healthier practices, setting aside alone time, getting social support, and avoiding a strenuous workload. College is a very exciting time, but it is important that to continue the excitement one must manage their