How Stressed-Out Students Can Build Resiliency

The emotional health of college freshmen is at its lowest point in 25 years, according to the Fall 2010 Freshman Survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California at Los Angeles. HERI has tracked response trends for over 40 years, and this survey polled over 200,000 freshmen at 279 colleges and universities. Their findings revealed that the pressures affecting students stem from both emotional and financial causes. Understanding the implications of these results is useful for parents and adults working with students. After discussing trouble signs signaling unhealthy stress, learn about ten wellness strategies that can help students decrease toxic stress and build their emotional resiliency.

Emotional Pressures
According to the HERI Research Brief “The American Freshman,” students who rate themselves lower on emotional health were more likely to report being frequently depressed in high school. They were also less likely to think that they will be satisfied with college.”

The survey also noted that more students felt overwhelmed while they were seniors in high school compared to previous years, and this feeling does not seem to abate as they transition to college. In high school, many students enjoy a high degree of parental planning and support to manage tight schedules, timelines and decisions. Senior year is often layered with a challenging academic schedule, extra-curricular and social activities, and uncertainty throughout the college and financial aid application process. Students that continue complex, overscheduled college lives, without the support, daily guidance and monitoring of parents, often lack the planning and prioritization skills to transition easily.

The higher levels of feeling overwhelmed prior to college and students’ perceived lower emotional health indicate that there is potential for higher stress levels for college freshmen. This finding also underscores the importance of stress management education and the possibility of increased demands placed on campus counseling resources.

There is another interesting set of trends. “Student responses show that at the same time that emotional health has been trending downward and feeling overwhelmed has been trending upward, self ratings on academic ability and drive to achieve have been moving up,” according to the HERI Research Brief. “While these are traits we seek in college admissions as indicators of success, we must consider whether such pressures indeed influence emotional health and overwhelming levels of activity.”

Financial Pressures
In the survey results, freshmen concerns about financing college were the highest since 1971, with more students using loans and grants today to fund the costs of a college education. Additionally, more freshmen reported parental unemployment this year, a significant stressor. Yet the students’ expectations for their own employment prospects were still quite hopeful.

Students were still strongly committed to the value of earning a bachelor’s degree. Record high numbers, 73% of students, believed that the chief benefit of a college education was that it increases their earning power. This was a big change from 1971, the first year the question was included in the survey, when the percentage was only 52%.

Believing that a bachelor’s degree is a magic ticket to a well-paying job reveals how unrealistic many students’ perceptions are about what education and work experience is required to enter different industries. There is a blind spot about the real number of openings in different professions. This lack of a realistic vision adds to stress. Understanding which careers and their related academic majors are in more demand and marketable can help young adults make informed decisions for themselves and their career choices.

Trouble Signs
Some of the danger signs for unhealthy stressors may be due to undeveloped skills, while others describe high risk behaviors. Whatever the cause, too much stress is linked to a higher incidence of psychological and physical illness. Here’s what to look for:

Undeveloped Skills

• Poor judgment, failure to consider consequences
• Poor time management skills
• Consistent procrastination, handing in assignments late or not at all
• Lack of planning and organization skills
• Low academic motivation
• Unprepared for the level of academic work on campus
• Lack of academic and career goals

Behaviors

• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Sexual promiscuousness
• Cutting classes
• All-nighters, too little or too much sleep
• Irritable and easily angered
• Sadness or frequent crying
• Headaches, stomach aches, nausea
• Moodiness, restlessness, trouble concentrating
• Withdrawn, no friends, or no interaction with others
• Poor eating habits
• Frequent colds
• Excessive time on the internet (Facebook, Twittter) or playing video games
• Online gambling

Building Resiliency Through Wellness Strategies
There are a variety of wellness strategies that can have a positive impact on students’ emotional health. Each individual is different, so students should choose the options that would work best for them. To strengthen undeveloped skills, students can seek out resources on campus that can help as well as their peer group or other affiliations. To change unhealthy behaviors, students may need the assistance that a campus counseling center can offer.

Here are ten suggestions for students to develop resilience – the ability to handle pressures and bounce back more quickly:

1. Build a community of allies. Develop a support group of friends on campus who are motivated and purposeful students – peers who demonstrate positive behaviors and encourage friends to do the same.
2. Identify meaningful and realistic academic and career goals. This is often why adult students are so successful in college. Join major-related or career-related organizations on campus to build relationships with students who have similar enthusiasms and goals.
3. Engage in leisure activities several times a week that relieve stress, such as sports, working out, dancing, meditation or yoga. Journaling and listening to music can help, too.
4. Develop positive working relationships with professors, faculty advisors, and residence hall staff. The sooner in the semester, the better. Make sure they know you a little bit before you may have to go to them on any issues. They will enjoy getting to know you as well.
5. Get sufficient sleep each night; trying to make up for lack of sleep on weekends does not work.
6. Eat regularly and healthfully. Feed your brain with the food it needs for peak performance.
7. Learn and practice smart planning and study habits to be more prepared and manage timelines.
8. Develop communication, assertiveness and conflict resolution skills to make it easier to address problems and advocate for yourself. See what workshops the campus counseling center offers.
9. Learn about all the services on campus that are designed for your success. Seek out those services as soon as you suspect a problem – campus health services, counseling center, tutoring services, or the writing clinic, to name a few.
10. Allow parents access to academic and other student records by signing a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) waiver. This way, families can optimize communication about all aspects of college and make it a more positive experience for everyone.