College is a huge time of transition, personal growth, and change.
For many students, college is the first time they’re living away from their parents, living with a roommate (or a few), setting their own schedules, making their own food, and creating their own budgets – all of this on top of class work.
Everyone knows college is stressful, and it’s a time of adjustment no matter where you are in your college career. We sat down with OhioHealth physicians Dr. Jane Balbo and Dr. Krista Duval, who see patients at the OhioHealth Campus Care at Ohio University, to learn more about stress and best ways to combat it.
Dealing with stress
Everyone deals with stress differently. The best way to manage and reduce your stress really depends on your lifestyle and preferences, but not all coping mechanisms are healthy.
A few unhealthy ways of dealing with stress are more obvious, such as turning to drinking or other drugs, but some aren’t as apparent. One way to recognize an unhealthy coping mechanism is if it makes you feel physically worse or regret it over the next few hours, days, or even weeks.
You may even be able to spot these unhealthy coping mechanisms in your friends. Having a conversation with your friend who you know may be struggling is hard, but remember not to pass judgement onto them. Approach the situation from a place of concern, or as you would hope to be approached. When in doubt, try using this phrase: “When you do …, I feel ….”
“Instead of being accusatory, sometimes it can be helpful to observe how someone’s behaviors affect other people, or how other people around them are being impacted,” Dr. Balbo says.
Your friends may also just want someone to confirm to them that what they’re doing isn’t healthy or recognize their problem. “I’ve had some patients who said, ‘I kind of knew it was a problem, but since nobody else seemed to think that it was a problem, I question whether or not it was really a problem,’” Dr. Duval said. “Or they wanted someone else to acknowledge what they’re going through or what was going on.”
Healthier ways to cope
There are plenty of options to deal with stress in a healthy way. You might be able to guess some, but here are a few of the healthy suggestions Dr. Duval and Dr. Balbo had:
- Get a good night’s rest. Check out our tips for getting better sleep in college .
- Eat mostly healthy, nutritious foods. An imbalanced diet can lead to more stress—see tips for improving your diet: college edition.
- Plan and manage your time. In college, setting a schedule for yourself is a must. Keep track of important tasks with a planner, calendar or by setting reminders on your phone.
- Spend time with people who care about you. There’s more to life than a school-work-repeat cycle. Having a laugh with loved ones is a natural stress reliever.
- Get up and move. If you can, go for a workout or find a way to move that feels good to you. Anything that gets your blood pumping and endorphins flowing should almost instantly improve your mood.
If you want some inspiration or new ideas, check out these 40 healthy coping strategies.
Minimizing school stress
Let’s be real: everyone has procrastinated at some point. I know how tempting it is to put off doing homework– especially when there are so many other things you would rather be doing– but putting off your homework will only cause you more stress.
We’ve all had those assignments that we thought would take half the time they really did, and the deadline that was hours away suddenly turned into 30 minutes away. It’s time we stop these late-night stress sessions.
If you can, plan time during the day (maybe in between classes) to get your work done. Key tip: treat college like it’s your job. Wake up early, go to class as you normally would, but stay on campus until 5 p.m. to get a decent amount of work done. Spending an hour or two at your favorite campus study spot with no distractions can help to increase your productivity and avoid procrastination.
Another way to get organized for the week is to plan your week ahead every Sunday. Try setting SMART goals to really solidify your objectives for the week. “If you have a foundation of healthy routines and a plan for how you’re going to manage a busy week, then it doesn’t turn everything into chaos. It’s just a harder week and then back to how it was,” Dr. Duval said.
Reaching out for help
College is an extremely stressful time. Sometimes, it can be too much, especially during weeks packed with assignments and exams. According to The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, we’re experiencing what they call a “College Mental Health Crisis”—while 73% of college students experience some form of mental health crisis, only 25% of students with a mental health issue seek help. There’s no shame in going to a mental health professional who can help you work out what you are going through.
Sometimes, students aren’t sure whether they should speak to a mental health professional. You don’t need a diagnosis, such as an anxiety or depression disorder, to see a therapist. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it might be a good time to reach out to someone:
- Having a hard time doing things you used to have no problem doing or not quite feeling like yourself
- Withdrawing from friends
- Feeling sad
- Losing interest in things that used to excite you
- Declining sleep quality
- Losing appetite or eating too much
If you decide you want to talk to someone, check out the resources your college offers first. Many colleges have free mental health services and different types of therapy, such as one-on-one counseling, workshops, mental health fitness classes, and group therapy. No matter which form of therapy you choose, talking to someone about your thoughts and feelings is a great first step.
Though many colleges offer mental health services, they may be limited or inadequate. Through the pandemic (and even before), students’ struggles continuously increased while most reported not knowing where to access any form of mental health services. If you are having a hard time getting an appointment through your school, are graduating soon and need to find someone in the community, or just don’t know where to start, check out these five steps for finding a mental health professional.
It can be hard to look at the big picture when you feel bogged down by assignments and exams. But when you’ve finished your last exam, written your last paper, and worked through your last group project, it’ll all feel worth it knowing that you pushed through all the stress that was thrown your way. You’ve got this!
About the authors
College 101 is a collaborative series between OhioHealth Marketing and Communications Interns Katie Emmons, Alice Demith, and Erica Wetzler.
