Content area
Full Text
Stress may be defined as "a state of psychological and/or physiological imbalance resulting from the disparity between situational demand and the individual's ability and / or motivation to meet those demands. There's a lot of pressure for the present generation students to learn more and more than in past generations. Just as it can be stressful to handle a heavy and challenging workload, some students can experience stress from regular academic work that isn't difficult enough. The present paper is an attempt to examine causes of academic stress among college students and its management. The first part of the paper deals with the concept of what is academic stress; its causes and effect on college students while the second part deals with common barriers and academic stress management strategies.
Keywords: stress, academics, stress management
Stress is a necessary and unavoidable concomitant of daily living. It is necessary because without some stress we would be listless and apathetic creatures, and unavoidable because it relates to any external event, itcan be pleasurable or anxiety producing. A person's response towards stress depends on whether an event is appraised as a challenge or a threat (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Challenging stimulus can lead to positive outcomes such as motivation and improved task performance while threatening ones or distress can result in anxiety, depression, social dysfunction and even suicidal intention. Along with the improvements during the scientific era and the rapid development of information, competitiveness among people has become increasingly intense, as a consequence, people have become busier and, therefore, stress is a natural consequence. Even though appropriate stress is a juncture for self-growth, it is also a motivation for people to progress actively. It not only affects our thoughts and feelings but our behavioral models, as well. However, overstress causes problems and discomfort, and can have serious effects on people. Specifically, student faces the stress when they enter a completely new world of professional education.
Academic Stress: Stress has become an important topic in academic circles. Many scholars in the field of behavioral science have carried out extensive research on stress and its outcomes and concluded that the topic needed more attention (Agolla, 2009). Stress in academic institutions can have both positive and negative consequences if not well...