Introduction
Stress encompasses an integral part of everyday life, especially for university students, due to the increased economic advantages of acquiring a university degree in the modern economy (Wheeler 2). It is manifested in different forms that culminate into the altering of the normal functionality of a university student.
The five common causes of stress encompass poor time management, new university environment, competitive exam circumstances, parental pressure to excel and the new relationships built in universities. Eradicating stress is impossible, but university students can articulate various strategies to reduce stress and enhance the achievement of good grades (Fraser and Carolyn 463).
Solutions to Stress
The six major solutions university students can apply in reducing stress include avoiding unnecessary stress, altering the situation, adapting to the stressor, accepting things that can’t be changed, making time for relaxation and fun and adopting a healthy lifestyle (Hill and Grahame 262).
To avoid unnecessary stress, the student should know his limit, the student should avoid the people that stress him or her, take control of his or her environment, he or she should avoid topics that upset him as well as he should organize his daily tasks, responsibilities and schedule for effective time management. Under altering the situation, the student should understand that some stressful situations cannot be avoided, but can be altered (Southwick 281).
This can be done by expressing their feelings as opposed to bottling them, compromising willingly especially in situations that can culminate into stress, being more assertive by dealing with problems head-on (O’Connell 21). Adapting to the stressor only occurs when a stressor can’t be changed.
This accords the student with control through the change of attitude and expectations (Whitman 84). This can be done by reframing problems or viewing the stressors in a more positive manner, looking at the bigger picture by taking in the stressful situation’s perspective, adjusting his or her standards to include reasonable standards that met easily as well as focusing on the positive side of university life especially when being weighed down by stress (Ming-hui and Yanyun 159).
Under accepting the things that cant be changed, the student should avoid asserting his or her control on uncontrollable factors as the behavior of the other students, their parents and the schools administration by focusing on those things that can be changed, viewing challenges as personal growth and academic growth opportunities, sharing what the student is going through with a friend or a counselor as well as learning to forgive those who exert stressful pressure on him or her (Brown 92).
Under making time for fun and relaxation, the student should set time to connect with others, engage in something they enjoy such as sports, hiking, yoga and transcendental meditation and art, setting time to rest and relax as well as keeping their sense of humor and ability to laugh (Allen and Hiebert 24).
Adopting a healthy life encompasses getting enough sleep, avoiding drugs, cigarettes and alcohol use as they provide temporary relief from stress, reducing the intake of sugar and caffeine as high levels culminate into energy and mood crash due to lack of sleep and relaxation, eating a healthy diet as well as exercising regularly to alleviate the effects of stress and relieving the pent-up tension and stress (Cunningham 12).
Works Cited
Allen, Sandra, and Bryan Hiebert. “Stress and coping in adolescents.” Canadian Journal of Counseling 25.1 (1991): 19-32.Print
Brown, Robert. T. “Helping students confront and deal with stress and procrastination.’ Journal of College Student Psychotherapy 6.2 (1991): 87-102.Print.
Cunningham J., Barton. The Stress Management Sourcebook. Los Angeles: Lowell House, 2000. Print.
Fraser, Kathryn P., and Carolyn M. Tucker. “Individuation, Stress and Problem-Solving Abilities of College Students.” Journal of College Student Development 38.5 (1997): 461-467. Print
Hill, Grahame, and Grahame Hill. A Level Psychology through Diagrams. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print.
Ming-hui, Li, and Yanyun, Yang. “Determinants of Problem Solving, Social Support Seeking and Avoidance: a path Analytical Model.” International Journal of Stress Management 16.3 (2009): 157-176.Print.
O’Connell, Bill. Solution-focused Stress Counseling. London: Continuum, 2001. Print.
Southwick, Steven M. Resilience in Psychiatric Clinical Practice: Responding to Challenges Across the Lifespan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print.
Wheeler, Claire M. 10 Simple Solutions to Stress: How to Tame Tension and Start Enjoying Your Life. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, 2006. Print.
Whitman, Neal, David C. Spendlove, and Claire H. Clark. Student Stress: Effects and Solutions. Washington: Association for the Study of Higher Education, 1984. Print.