College: a time to attain (some) valuable knowledge, make friends, and most importantly, find yourself. However, while seeking the benefits of college life, the inevitable burden of stress always manages to sneak upon us.
Even as I sit here beginning to write this piece, I'm stressing about what I can say about stress — since when do the little things in life become the monsters that used to haunt us from our closet doors when we were little kids? Well, here's why.
College students may experience stress in many ways: balancing academic competition and their social life, peer pressure, focusing on a future career and even financing their way through school. But in such cases, is it correct to live by the old saying, "As the going gets tough, the tough get going?"
A 2008-2009 American Health Association survey showed that 47 percent of college students felt overwhelming anxiety, and 30 percent of students became so depressed they found it difficult to function.
Even most college grads can agree that the stresses of college prepare students for the stresses of the "real world." Unfortunately, no matter what the obstacle of the week is, we can't all just run off to Bali like Julia Roberts did in "Eat, Pray, Love."
So why do we always manage to find ourselves amidst an agenda-filled whirlwind? Easy — we're college students all trying to have our version of the perfect lifestyle.
In light of a new school year, here are some tips to at least get you through to Christmas break, no matter what college year you find yourself in:
Stop stressing about stressing: The first instinct, both physical and psychological, is to freak out about how much you have on your plate. Make a plan to figure everything out, ordering your "To Do" list from most important to least important. Focusing on a jumble of things will only send you into frenzy of tears … or worse.
Eat, but eat well: It's easy to run to the coffee pot or buy that 5-Hour Energy at UDF, but caffeine actually acts like a set of breaks on how tired you are — it doesn't actually give you any energy. Eating fruits and vegetables (Vitamin C), fish (which contains choline, a memory booster) and yogurt (extra calcium for nerve impulses) are among a few nutritious things that have been proven to reduce stress. Eat larger meals for breakfast and smaller meals for dinner — your mind needs the most help in the morning.
Work out: Even if it's just a 30-minute walk to relax with your iPod or talk with a friend, loosening up your muscles is always a great idea.
Sleep: College schedules are never ideal — running from classes to organization meetings to mandatory events takes all that energy out of you. Getting more sleep can help your mind refocus, recharge and rebalance. Make it a point to take a nap or at least go to bed early sometime during the week to regain the energy you've already lost.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Get some social time: Going out to eat or seeing a movie might help you take your mind off of your busy schedule. Keeping up with your social life is an important part of your college experience too.
These tips may not be the ultimate saving grace, but they can help reverse the mayhem.
Needless to say, our lives wouldn't be as interesting if some sort of drama didn't accent it. That's all just part of the college experience, and maybe how we handle that stress shapes us to be who we really are.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.