Knowledge Of Stress Management Techniques

Stress has a different meaning for different people under different conditions. The first and most generic definition of stress was stated by Hans Selye: “Stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand”. Stress is common in every college student’s life; not only because of the amount of course work or the expectations to succeed, but also because of their lives away from the classroom. Among college students, many pursue the following methods to decrease stress: effective time management, social support, positive reappraisal, and engagement in leisure activities. Despite knowing stress management techniques, many college students do not use time management and find themselves not making time for healthy behaviors which may relieve stress.

Towbes and Cohen (1996) created the College Chronic Life Stress Survey in which they focused on the frequency of chronic stress in the lives of college students. The purpose of this study was to determine what sources of stress are the most predominant among college students and to examine the nature of these stressors. They evaluated these stressors in relation to how many times a student had to deal with them on a weekly basis; interpersonal conflicts, self-esteem problems, and money problems. “while many specific events and situations have been implicated as stressors for college students, more research is needed to investigate the nature of these of these stressors for college students, and which stressors are most prevalent in college students lives.”

College students are more likely to work while attending school, and recent data indicate that approximately 57% of students work full or part-time. Students develop time-management skills and independence while being working students, as well as provide other skills that may be beneficial to their careers after graduation. Being an employed student has a very high chance of being problematic because some students may need to work an excessive number of hours to afford their courses, resulting in undesirable influences on academic success and health.

In addition, Misra and McKean (2000) concluded that women experience higher academic stress and anxiety, but they have more effective time management behaviors than men. It also was concluded that men benefit more from leisure activities than women. Little amounts of stress can be positive and motivating for some people, but an extreme amount of stress can be negatively associated with a student’s self-concept. A survey on stress at college and its effects on health habits, health status, and self-esteem found that stress was especially high among college females.

Academic stress describes the growing need for knowledge and, at the same time, an individual’s perception of insufficient time to acquire that knowledge. According to Shadi, Peyman, Taghipour, & Tehrani (2018) impaired thinking process, perception and problem-solving abilities as well as sleep disturbances and diminished decision-making power are all caused by elevated levels of stress. One of the most sensitive stages in life is the transition from adolescence to adulthood. As if that already isn’t stressful enough, young adults at this age are attending college which then increases levels of stress on top of the stress from figuring out their life.