Helping College Students Cope With Stress: Getting Them Back On Track

College students are at a unique place in their life.  They are often on their own for the first time, have no one to supervise their study habits, and must function as an adult but often still feel like a teenager.  Some stress may be good for a college student, it can serve to motivate and help you reach your goals.  Stress that is excessive is not physically or emotionally healthy for you.  All of us, whether we are teens or adults, face stress regularly.  The college student may not have the support they had while living at home and may turn to negative ways of coping with stress.

Excess stress usually develops over time and is unnoticed until a physical problem or emotional crisis forces them to look at the stressors in their life.  You will experience stress in your life and finding ways of coping with it will help keep you physically and emotionally healthier.

College students should be made aware of some of the warning signs of excessive stress in their life.  If you are a college student or the parent of a student, knowing the warning signs may help you catch the problem before it becomes dangerous.

Has your college student’s sleep habits changed?  Do they wake up feeling tired and not rested?  Maybe they are taking longer and longer to fall asleep.  If you experience this you may want to look at the stressors in your life.

Maybe your eating habits have changed.  The “Freshman Fifteen” seems to be normal for incoming college freshmen.  Eating less healthy foods and eating foods that are high in sugar, saturated fats, and other useless sugar carbs can cause gaining of up to fifteen pounds.  College kids are on their own when they are choosing which foods to eat, unlike when they were home and served healthy foods they were expected to eat.

A sense of disorganization and time pressure may signal that you are in danger of being over-stressed.  You may find that you feel you don’t have enough time to complete all of your schoolwork and that may cause you to feel disorganized.  You face the question, “What should I do first?”  That sometimes will cause us to put off doing anything because we are so overwhelmed with what we feel we have to do.

Another sign that you are becoming overwhelmed with stress is if you are having muscle tightness or aches.  You may find your muscles will ache even when you haven’t been working them.  You may also find that you have recurring colds and other minor illnesses.  Stress impacts the immune system and lowers the body’s defenses against germs and viruses.

If you notice you are often angry and frustrated, more short-tempered, and you are easily irritated, that may also be a sign of overwhelming stress.

If you recognize any of the signs, contact your counselor through the college, confide in a trusted friend, and contact your doctor.  You could be headed for a nervous collapse and help may be needed to get you back on track.