Stress Reduction Is Possible!

By: Victoria Frank

Hectic life? Stressed out? Finding it difficult to get a break? Well you are not alone. A college student’s stress is filled with classes, work, and personal lives. A little stress is healthy, however too much can be detrimental. So where’s the balance? It’s all about finding equilibrium in your day-to-day life and managing your stress effectively so that it does not become detrimental.

Julio Ramirez  is a full-time student at Montgomery College and majors in Life Science. He works a full time job and on top of that plays on the school’s soccer team. When asked if he has issue with balancing his school. work, and social live, Julio replied “Yeah, I needed to cut down on my social life.”

Julio has a packed daily schedule consisting of work three weekdays and on the weekends along with classes every day. He does consider himself very stressed.

“I wish I had time to go home, relax.” Julio commented. In regards to what this stress does to him, he remarks that his hectic schedule sometimes affects his work performance negatively and he has trouble meeting due dates and deadlines for assignments.

It is easy to note that being stressed can affect your school performance negatively. It also affects your health. What is important is finding a balance, a homeostasis, between your personal work, school work, personal life, and social life. Once a student acquires this balance, things become much easier and they can remedy their stress.

Stephan Komeka is also a full-time student with fourteen credit hours. He does not work, however he has a very active social life and like Julio, he too plays soccer. Stephan says occasionally his school and social life conflicts one another, but overall school is a priority. He does not consider his life very stressful.

When asked about how he balances his school and social life as well as his advice on the matter, his response was the same, “You just gotta set your priorities straight.”

Setting your priorities straight ties into time management which is key advice when it comes to achieving balance. Keeping a planner to organize the due dates of your assignments, and planning out schedules of your days in advance will keep you organized and focused. Organization will help prevent future stressors as well.

It is also recommended that no matter how busy you are, try to schedule some daily time of leisure to help relax your mind and body. Also, taking care of your body is very important so try to get ample amount of sleep, eat with a healthy diet, and exercise as frequently as you can. When your body is healthy, it is easier to concentrate on things like school and work. In turn you will perform well–if not even better. The best part about performing well? It causes less stress.

You can do it all: work, school. personal life. However, in order to handle all aspects effectively, it is imperative to achieve your own homeostasis and commit yourself to living as stress free as possible.