Blissfully Stressed
The definition of college is an organized group of professional people with particular aims, duties, and privileges. It is an establishment made to create society’s future leaders stuffing the minds of students with an infinite amount of knowledge while creating an atmosphere of growth and self discovery. But at what cost does this new environment and unfathomable amount of knowledge come? Endless nights of studying, never ending expectations, excruciating amounts of homework, all while trying to balance work and a social life seem quite overwhelming from the prospective of a student. It is importance to create an image of independence for those who want to lead but, you cannot show too much otherwise you’re considered a know it all causing you to be shunned by your peers. The baggage that comes with a college lifestyle can only cause one thing on the minds and bodies of a human, stress. The cause and effects of stress can be unsightly, uncalled for, and sometimes self harming or it can feel like a breath of fresh air clearing someone’s mind while guiding them down the road of success.
Sweaty palms, growling stomachs, broken hearts, and scattered thoughts can all be triggered due to stress. The competition in different fields of study has increased greatly as more and more students attempt to leave a legacy behind in college. In the process of reaching a certain level of contentment, daily routines are altered to fit the fast paced life style of college. Simple everyday tasks such as eating habits have become an option rather than a priority. According to life guru and blogger Krystle Colon, students have become “too busy with their friends or studying for exams, [causing] many of them [to not] have the time or the means to eat a well-balanced meal.” This can cause weight loss or weight gain known as the freshman fifteen. Being part of such a competitive culture may potentially cause mood swings due to academic stresses effecting social relationships with friends, significant others, and family members. While attempting to cope with all the stress involuntarily we find ourselves pushing away any contact from the world creating deteriorating relationships and rising anxiety levels. Emily Driscoll of Fox Business believes finding the “balance between school and personal life takes discipline and strong time-management skills” but, because not everyone is cut from the same stone transitioning can be quite difficult and stressful for some. Adding up all the different causes of stress on college students ultimately affect their chances of completing with a degree in a prospective field along with determining whether or not the life envisioned in their dreams is the life they get to live. Though stress normally has a negative connotation behind it, there are multiple upsides to the unexpected arrival of stress in a college student’s life.
The drive that motivates many to accomplish the unbelievable is put to the test when stress comes knocking on their doors. The day to day schedule in the chaos known as college life differs from person to person but, since there is so much to be done it helps reinforce the idea of organization and self efficiency. It creates a tornado of mess forcing you to sit down and analyze how to complete the day using the least amount of energy while being as resourceful as possible. This in turn becomes a lifelong habit not only being used throughout college but, throughout similar situations faced in the future. Stress is a cognitive enhancer causing our brains to focus on the course at task. Due to further research done by Fox Business, stress can help stay keen and alert due to “the release of adrenaline which speeds up your heart rate [resulting] in increased reactions and reflexes” improving your attention span. Flooded with exams and the random pop quizzes of doom they have also observed “stress [being] shown in some studies to help increase memory and recall” meaning a smidge