Relation Between Student Stress and the Eustress

GAC002A AE#4 Jongwuk Rhim Student ID

Relation between student stress and the “Eustress”

Student’s Name: Jongwuk Rhim

Student ID #:

Teacher: Coniah Kim

Due Date: 18 May 2012

Word Count: 527

Topic: Examine the reasons why students are stressed. Demonstrate how this stress impacts on them.

According to a survey done by the directors of the Association of Universities and College Counseling Center, majority of students are suffering from stress. However, stress can be a major problem, because some students in campus, suicide triggered by stress (Nytimes.com 2012). Stress from such things like financial problems and lack of time-management skills, can also function the “eustress” which influences on brain differently by its amount.

Reasons such like their financial problems can be their main concern that brings stress. When a college had done a survey to the students, taking 27 percent of last year, one out of three said that they are stressed under the influence of financial problems. Moreover, this leads students to work in part time jobs or full time job to earn money and try to pay for the college or university by them however, this means less time to study also. Therefore, this kind of counter plan brings severer stresses to students. Many colleges run counseling programs in order to help the students who feel a lot of stress, but students ignore the given provides and try to manage by themselves. A survey done by the mtvU/AP in 2008 show that some portage of students, suicide or had the attempt to suicide because of reason above.(Jedfoundation.org 2012).

When students are having a hard time managing their own schedule, it may lead to getting stress. According to the New York Times article, many fresh men felt “frequently overwhelmed” by the requirements they had to do. Since there are many assessments but limited time, at some point, student’s intelligence is not enough. From then, students are placed in adversities and feel a lot of stress (Nytimes.com 2012). Therefore, managing time is crucial for the students and this fact can be found in the study conducted by Swick K. J. in 1987. According to the study; a questionnaire answered by 165 students, shows that students who had the perception of time performed remarkably better than the others who didn’t.

Nevertheless, a small amount of stress called “eustress” is a vital factor for the brain. The reason is that the eustress can enhance some aspects of our intelligence. By comparing two groups of students for example, the group that perceived daily stress, performed better on the exam than the group which gained abrupt stress, to prepare for the exam (Healthguidance.org 2012). It’s because stress helps us to focus and to react in sudden situations without knowing. Also, according to some studies, eustress can increase our ability to memorize and recall. On the other hand, if too much stress is felt, it can also occur in a negative way. It is said that a small amount of stress enhances intelligence, however when our brain gets stressed too much, there can be effects like memory problems, inability to concentrate and poor judgments (Helpguide.org 2012).

In conclusion, although, when reasons like financial problems and time management give students a lot of stress, eustress also functions to evaluate the student’s ability. If a high sense of self-management is followed, students can adapt the stress than use it as a useful resource to keep their mind and body invulnerable.

References

Duenwald, M. (2002), Students Find Another Staple of Campus life: Stress, The New York Times [online]. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/17/health/students-find-another-staple-of-campus-life- stress.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm [Accessed 3 May 2012]

Knowlton, S. (no date), The Positive Effects of Stress, HealthGuidance [online]. Available at: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15537/1/The-Positive-Effects-of-Stress.html [Accessed 3 May 2012]

New mtvU & Associated Press Poll Shows How Stress, the Economy & Other Factors Are Affecting College Students' Mental Health (2009), The Jed Foundation [online]. Available at : http://www.jedfoundation.org/press-room/press-releases/New-mtvU-Associated-Press-Poll-Shows-How- Stress-Economy-Other-Factors-Are-Affecting-College-Students-Mental-Health [Accessed 4 May 2012]

Smith, M., Segal, R. & Segal, J. (2011), Understanding Stress, Helpguide [online]. Available at: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm [Accessed 3 May 2012]

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