Coping with Stress at College

Exams. The future. The roommate from hell. Credit card debt. Living away from home for the first time. These and a hundred other issues can overwhelm college students with stress, making their lives miserable and causing them to crash and burn academically.

It happens far more often than you think.

The infographic below, Managing the College Stress Epidemic, presents an eye-opening overview of stress at the college/university level, including a summary of symptoms, triggers and treatment options. It is a must-read for college students, incoming freshmen and parents.

Most colleges and universities are aware of the prevalence of stress among students and offer a wide range of prevention and treatment options, including counseling, courses and therapy programs.

In addition to seeking support from the institution, students can also do relatively simple things to reduce stress. Getting adequate sleep, for instance, goes a long way toward relieving stress, and yet is something that many college students simply don’t make time for. Sleep, exercise and diet not only relieve stress, but they also contribute to better physical health — the combination of which can make the difference between academic failure and success.

Another compelling reason to focus on these positive coping techniques: Students all too often turn to negative coping techniques that ultimately make the problem of stress worse. Much worse. Excessive alcohol consumption, drug use and unwise romantic entanglements are just three ways students can damage their lives in an effort to relieve stress.

A great start to staying positive, healthy and keeping stress at bay is to continue reading below.