Over 30 percent of college students report feeling overwhelmed at the demands of university life, according to the University of California-Los Angeles. That stress isn’t limited to college students. Students of all ages, in fact, can feel anxious about life and the future. Stress affects not only the mind, but also the nervous and immune systems, making it harder to fight off illnesses and infections and more difficult to sleep. Grades One of the biggest contributors to students’ stress is the need to perform well in the classroom in order to get high grades.
For high school students, grades can affect college placement, scholarships and even privileges at home. In college, grades play an important role in scholarships, the ability to play on sports teams and moving on to higher levels of education. Peer Pressure Whether it’s the temptation to do drugs, drink alcohol, go to parties or even cheat, students can sometimes feel bombarded with pressure from their peers to do things that are either harmful or distracting. Trying to please friends while fulfilling other obligations can contribute to the stress.
Hard Decisions As students advance in high school and college, they are faced with some of the biggest decisions in their lives. Choosing a college and a major and deciding what to do after graduation can cause stress. Students may be fearful of making the wrong decision or dealing with outside influences, such as parents or friends who are trying to steer them in one direction or another. Sexuality High school and college are a time in a student’s life when he usually becomes sexually active.
This can create a whole new set of anxieties, as he begins to navigate serious and not-so-serious relationships. In addition, this is a time when students begin to reflect on exactly who they are. Part of this phase of a student’s sexual self-identification may be the realization that he is homosexual or bisexual, which carries with it a whole slew of stresses. From figuring out how to come out to friends, relatives and family members to entering a new world of dating, sexual identity issues can cause stress and leave students feeling confused and in turmoil.
