Lately, my thoughts have brought me back two years in time to my high school health class — or perhaps another class, the details are blurred in my memories — in which we watched a TEDx video about stress and how it can negatively affect one’s health. My teacher, who often warned us about managing our time and getting enough sleep, took me aside after class because she was concerned about my mental well being.
The power had gone out the day before, meaning my peers and I couldn’t complete our online coursework. This was fairly displeasing to all of us, including my 16-year-old self, but I must have made my discontent especially obvious. I remember that teacher taking me outside of the small room and asking me, “Diana, are you stressed? It’s okay to be stressed. Do you need to talk to anyone?”
Naturally, I thought, “No, I’m not stressed, I’m just angry.” In hindsight, I must admit the power outage was a fairly ridiculous thing to get upset about, even if I was a bit stressed out at the prospect of having less time to complete my work.
In the present, I am finding that the word “stress” is everywhere. When sitting down with friends before class and discussing next semester’s course load, I hear, “Are you sure about that? The workload sounds pretty stressful.” The Stall Seat Journal, which miraculously changes in my suite’s bathroom every month, includes tips on “managing stress.” All over my Facebook feed are articles about stress and mental health and college life, and a simple internet search reveals infinitely more. If I ask a friend how he or she is doing, the answer “stressed” is often given in return, if not a hesitant “okay” or “alright.”
My half-semester here at U.Va. so far has been a learning experience for me in handling the academic environment I will be in for another seven semesters. Unsurprisingly, being a first year is often stressful.
However, as I’m seeing from older friends and classmates, time doesn’t seem to curb students’ stress. As of now, I am adjusting to life here on Grounds, but next year I know I’ll start feeling the pressure to declare a major. Then I will actually have to complete the courses required by the major. And as a fourth year, there will be the “what are you going to do after graduation?” pressure.
So, if stress in college is continuous and inevitable, the question of how to deal with it remains.
I know activities such as working out, relaxing with friends, engaging in a creative outlet or even just going to sleep at a somewhat reasonable time can help. But, being 18, I have no answers or magical solution to offer. I can parrot the oft-repeated techniques for handling stress like those on the Stall Seat Journal, but sometimes I don’t think it’s enough for anyone. That, or perhaps I’m pessimistic.
While I have unanswered questions about how to manage stress, I am confident that simple compassion never hurts. As such, my fellow Hoos, I implore you all to look after each other, even if all you can do is ask how someone is doing. It can be your roommate, suitemate, or housemate, a friend, a classmate or an acquaintance, or a family member beyond Grounds, but sometimes you can help people the most just by making that tiny effort to reach out. I also hope that you can find the courage to answer with honesty if the answer isn’t positive.
Although the problem of stress likely can’t be resolved in the world of higher education as we know it, I hope we can all at least help by being empathetic to those around us.
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