Stress

Stress can be defined as anything which arouses the alertness of ones body. Stress is something that affects us physically and mentally. It alerts the body in stressful situations and if aroused for too long can become a hazard to our bodies and health. All stress is not bad stress. We have eustresses and distresses; eustresses are pleasant stressors and distresses are bad stressors. A major stressor in my life right now is school. School is a major source of stress once you reach high school. After high school the stress becomes more apparent and you find yourself having many distresses. College students always have to beat some deadline and struggle to achieve above standards. I would say these are the two most distresses in a college students life.

Imagine you're enrolled as a fulltime student taking five courses and they all center on writing. Well, a person who enjoys writing may think it's a piece of cake since but let's not forget that you're also working. Now you have five papers all due around the same time plus work. This becomes tight and you have to turn it in on time or you won't get a good grade which leads to our next distress,achievement. No one goes to school to score below average. Most college students do the best they can in order to achieve the best results. GPA is so important and this adds stress to the lives of college students. Most stressors can be dealt with. If not totally eliminated they can be decreased.

One coping technique I personally use to eliminate the stress of meeting deadlines is reading ahead. Whenever I have free time I go over future chapter and even start outlines for future writing assignments. Another coping skill is making sure you are organized. As a college student syllabuses can become missing which can lead to missing a deadline. Keeping your materials organized and labeled will allow you to notice assignments before they're due. Time management is so important in any student's life. Setting aside time to study even if it's just two hours a day can do a lot of good. Coping with the stress of achieving the best is not that different from the techniques I've mentioned above. I would just like to add that no one is the same and college is not a competition. We're all in it to win something so there is no need to feel like you must always be above average. The only technique for success is determination and focus. As long as one focuses on