Making The Grade In Handling Stress

Just three months ago, you were standing on stage, receiving
your high school diploma The thrill of completing your high
school education seems like a distant memory, now that you are
completing your first month at college While you were excited
about starting classes, you never anticipated the amount of
stress you would encounter At times, you might feel as if you
will be buried alive by stress
You should know that the feeling of being stressed out is
nothing unusual for a college student To begin with, it might
be your first time away from home You miss your parents, your
brothers and sisters, your friends You miss the comfort of the
family dwelling, the commemoration of birthdays and other
special events You might even miss the extra-curricular
activities you enjoyed at your high school
There is the stress of trying to do well in academically
challenging college classes You might feel overwhelmed by the
amount of reading you have to do You might not have developed
strong study skills in high school, leading to greater stress at
college You may even find it difficult finding a place to
study–especially if you’re not used to spending long periods of
time in the library
You might also be dealing with the stress of having to live
with roommates for the first time Your roommates might not
share your values, your interests, or even your sleeping
patterns If you have more than one roommate, you might feel
outnumbered If you were an only child, you might not be used to
the stress involved in sharing a bathroom or a common study area
Also, you might be dealing with the stress of your first
serious relationship You might not know how to handle conflict
effectively And you might be wondering whether you have become
too serious too soon with your boyfriend or girlfriend Also,
finding the time to spend together can be a real challenge,
given all the other demands on your time
You might also be stressed out by the part-time job you have to
work in order to support your studies Your duties might be
demanding, and the hours you have to put in may be interfering
with your sleep You might also be dealing with the stress of
having to get along with difficult co-workers
There is no way to eliminate all the stress involved in
attending college This time of your life will be inherently
stressful, no matter how you try to streamline your schedule
However, there are some effective techniques you can use to
reduce your stress level so that the pressures do not seem so
overwhelming
To begin with, you need to develop effective time management
techniques This means creating a schedule and sticking with it
Be sure to build some relaxation time into your schedule That
way, you can ensure that you are getting an appropriate amount
of rest and exercise
One thing that can add to your stress level is weight gain
College is famous for the “Freshman 15,” or adding 15 pounds to
one’s frame during the first year of classes In order to combat
this, try to eliminate unhealthy snacks such as potato chips and
cookies Try to limit your diet to lean meats and fish, fruits,
vegetables, and whole grains Try whenever possible to avoid
eating at parties And don’t overindulge in alcohol, which can
add an appreciable amount of weight In this way, you can try to
protect yourself against excessive weight gain
College is one of the most memorable periods in anyone’s life
The knowledge you gain can be incredible You can forge
friendships which will last a lifetime You might find your
mate, or develop a life-long hobby And yet, college is a time
fraught with tension You have to please your professors, your
roommates, your friends, and employers You have to take on
adult responsibilities for the first time, such as paying your
bills Each day is filled with a myriad of stresses However, by
building in appropriate coping techniques into your daily
schedule, you can develop the skills you need to handle stress
effectively In the end, you might earn a grade of A for your
stress management ability

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