College Students Use Stress asBadge of Academic Success

After a long day of sitting through classes, shooting video for the college news station, and working at the portable equipment center, Ithaca College student Kari Beal is tired – and has hours of homework ahead of her. Beal is a sophomore journalism major with a double minor in speech communications and health studies. When she’s not studying or working, she participates in various forms of student media and plays three intramural sports.

“I like to be busy,” Beal said.

Like Beal, many students fill up their schedule with courses, jobs, and extra-curricular activities, which often leaves them tired and stressed. This stress is often connected to a variety of other problems prevalent on college campuses, including sleep problems, mood disorders, and abuse of prescription medications like Adderall and Ritalin.

“Some students have been over-scheduled since they were toddlers ¬¬–– lessons, play dates, camps, and other activities,” says Nancy Reynolds, program director at the Ithaca College center for health promotion. “They think something's wrong with them if they aren't busy every single moment. Others are simply high achievers. Some students become over-busy with extracurricular activities and don't set aside enough time for academics.”

Stress can ultimately affect productivity, resulting in even higher levels of stress. Sophomore communications management and design major Julia Wojnar says, with her busy schedule, she often finds it difficult to get everything done.

“When I am very stressed out, it’s hard to be productive because I get tense and can't stop thinking about everything else that I have to do,” she said.
Some students, like Wojnar, have to sacrifice their social lives to manage all of their activities.
“It’s really hard to find a balance at times,” she said.

Stress is not always a bad thing, Reynolds says, and can even be healthy, especially among college students.
“A certain amount of stress is productive, motivational,” says Reynolds. “Without any stress, we would not feel compelled to do anything. There is a healthy balance of stress.”

A 2009 MTV-U / Associated Press poll shows that 85 percent of all students feel stressed daily and 6 in 10 students report having felt so stressed they could not get their work done on one or more occasions. Today’s economy has been cited as a source of stress, according to 52 percent of those polled. A 2006 mtvU study of college students’ mental health found that today’s students face more intense competition and increased uncertainty about their future careers than in the past. The stress to find a job or choose a graduate school usually peaks during their junior year.
Beal works eight hours a week at the portable equipment center, making her one of many students who take on work/study jobs to help pay for the escalating costs of college. She is also struggling to find a paid internship for next summer, a difficult task in this uncertain job market.

The study also found that some students view stress as a badge of honor or a status symbol showing academic success. At the same time, however, most students see succumbing to stress as a sign of failure. Mental health issues are still surrounded by a large negative stigma. 72 percent of students named “embarrassment” as a reason why they probably will not seek help.

In her book, Seven Days to Working Well: How to Change the Way You Work and Think About Work in Just One Week, Michelle Berry, adjunct professor of strategic communications at Ithaca College, discusses the “rule of three,” which is the theory that a person can do only three things exceptionally well in a given day. Berry explains how this perfectionist attitude can ultimately backfire.

“When we say we have no time to care for ourselves, it's actually that we are so busy with the business of over-tasking and trying to do it all, that we have neglected self-care,” she said.

While partying is nothing new to college campuses, drinking and drugs are becoming more of a problem. A 2007 report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University calculated that 23 percent of college students meet the medical criteria for substance abuse or dependence.

“Some students abuse substances to cope with stress, but they find that it's a temporary fix,” says Reynolds. “The stressor is still there after the drug wears off and is sometimes worse than before.”
Columbia University biostatistician Roger Vaughan says students need to realize that drinking and drugs are not a rite of passage.

“If it keeps going, we're going to destroy our best and brightest,” he said.

Some students, like Beal and Wojnar, try to actively make time to cater to their own mental needs. Beal frequently exercises and plays soccer, softball, and volleyball as a way to have a good time and reduce stress.

“Being physically active is very effective for managing stress, even if it just means a brisk walk around campus,” Reynolds says.

Berry insists that stress doesn’t have to be overwhelming or inhibit productivity. “Relaxation, resilience and re-ordering priorities can often be the key to really churning out good work,” she says. “The endless drive for perfection, coupled with anxiety, will undue even the best laid plans.”