Stress

Stress is a problem in life that everyone has to deal with. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2004) it is defined as “pressure or strain”, and according to Ellis (1986): “Stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world.” Stress, as it is popularly seen, can be experienced under different conditions: A man’s car breaks down on a busy freeway, a student has to study for an important final exam, a little boy being bullied in school, a woman must commute a total of three hours a day in rush hour traffic. All of these events are easily recognizable as realistic, if not common, experiences. Each of people in these scenarios can be identified as experiencing stress. Everybody experiences stress. It is normal to experience stress. College students, especially freshmen, are a group particularly prone to stress (D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991) due to the transitional nature of college life (Towbes & Cohen, 1996). They must adjust to being away from home for the first time, maintain a high level of academic achievement, and adjust to a new social environment. College students, regardless of year in school, often deal with pressures related to finding a job. These stressors do not cause anxiety or tension by themselves. Instead, stress results from the interaction between stressors and the individual's perception and reaction to those stressors (Romano, 1992). The amount of stress experienced may be influenced by the individual's ability to effectively cope with stressful events and situations (D'Zurilla & Sheedy, 1991).

2. The main sources of stress in college students

In order for us to determine the major causes of stress in college freshmen students, we surveyed 40 first year students of CMAFI and asked them to fill a form with 20 potentially (school-related) stressful situations and asked them to choose 5 of these situations where they are experiencing more stress than normal.

Stressors Number of votes

Increased class workload

Lower grade than anticipated

Change of Major

Project Deadline

Quizzes

Missed too many classes

Serious argument with instructor

Transferred schools

Studying for final exam

Speaking orally in class

Schoolwork (assignments)

Time conflict/ Time demands

Class environment

3. Different effects of stress

Besides having a general interest in stress- why study it at all? What general effect does stress have on a college student? A common sense of understanding stress, permits us to see a negative concept. After all stress is unpleasant and can negatively affect our well-being. It has been estimated that two-thirds of all visits to physicians are for stress-related problems. Recent evidence indicates that the physical changes associated with stress may contribute to the leading causes of death - heart disease and cancer (ehealthMD, 2004). To understand what stress does to us, imagine how cavemen lived long ago, when they were threatened by beasts such as lions and tigers. They would have to react instantly by either fighting the beast or running away. So humans evolved the ability to respond to a stressful situation instantly, by preparing the body for "fight or flight." Under sudden stress, you will get a burst of exceptional strength and endurance, as your body pumps out stress hormones. There are two types of stress: Acute or short-term stress and Chronic or long-term stress. Acute stress is the body’s immediate reaction to situations that are demanding or dangerous. The body usually recovers quickly from acute stress, but it can cause problems when it happens too often and the body does not have a chance to go back to normal. In people who have heart problems acute stress can trigger abnormal