Being a college student in today’s society is not easy. There is so much work and so much pressure thrown on us almost every second. A lot of college students even have to work full-time alongside their full-time education program just to pay rent and be able to eat. It’s no surprise that college students are under greater levels of stress and at greater risk for mental disorders than any time in US history (Henriques, 2014). In fact, studies suggest that between 25-33% of college students “meet criteria for an anxiety of depressive illness during their college experience” (Henriques, 2014). These numbers are scary at first glance, but it does makes sense given the amount of stress and anxiety that college students face as they leave their homes and take on the challenge of higher education. Stress can have extremely harmful effects on our minds and mental health, making things like school and socializing even harder. Thankfully, the damage can be reversed with a little patience and a lot of mindfulness.
How does stress impact the mind? Believe it or not, stress can actually reshape and restructure your brain in ways that inhibit your performance. Cortisol is a hormone released during a stress response. When we are in constant states of stress, our bodies end up with too much cortisol, which can literally change the brain. Cortisol contributes to the deterioration and shrinking of the hippocampus and other parts of the brain associated with learning, memories, and stress control (Murgia, 2015). Stress also impairs the ability of the hippocampus to produce new brain cells, so the ones being lost are not being replaced at the same rate. This greatly impairs memory retrieval and our ability to retain new information, which could put us at risk for underachievement on exams and assignments (Vogel & Schwabe, 2016). And, when the part of our brain that is responsible for our stress control deteriorates, our ability to control and manage our stress is weakened as well. All of these changes in our brain can not only make it harder to succeed in school, but it can also make us more susceptible to a host of mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even alzheimer's (Murgia, 2015). Aside from the distinct changes to the brain, cortisol can also cloud our thoughts and make it hard for us to think clearly or rationally, or remember even the simplest things, like where we put our keys (Levitan, 2015). As you can see, being under constant stress is not good for our mental health. It can cause us to underperform in all areas of life, and it prevents us from becoming the best versions of ourselves that we could be. There’s no need to worry, though, since most of the damage done can be reversed. Tips and tricks for a healthier mind When are brains are not healthy, we are not healthy. Being under chronic stress is one of the worst things we can do for our mental health, so it is extremely important that we begin to do what we can to reverse the damage stress has already made. Two of the best things we can do for our brains are meditation and regular exercise, as they both involve being aware of our surroundings and our breath. These activities have been scientifically found to reduce stress and to increase the size of the hippocampus (Murgia, 2015), which are important for stress management and for reversing of the damage I mentioned earlier. We can also set ourselves up for success by planning ahead for when we know we will be under great stress and not performing at our best to prevent any further stressors or damage. There’s a practice called pre-mortem, which involves looking ahead and seeing all that could go wrong, and trying to figure out what you can do to prevent those things from happening (Levitan, 2015). You could set a designated spot for keys, take pictures of important documents, or pack your bag ahead of time so you don’t have to stress later about forgetting something important. This is something that I do all the time, and it really does help to keep the seemingly small but extremely harmful daily stressors at bay. Regardless of what techniques you try, it is important that you have a stress management plan to help keep your stress levels low so you can avoid some of the harmful effects that stress can have on your mental health. Whatever you do, just try to “get in control of stress before it controls you” (Murgia, 2015). References Henriques, G. (2014, February 15). The College Student Mental Health Crisis. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201402/the-college-student-mental-health-crisis. Levitin, D. (2015, September). How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_levitin_how_to_stay_calm_when_you_know_you_ll_be_stressed?referrer=playlist-talks_to_help_you_manage_stres. Murgia, M. (2015, November 9). How stress affects your brain. Retrieved from: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-stress-affects-your-brain-madhumita-murgia#watch. Vogel, S. and Schwabe, L. (2016, June 29). Learning and memory under stress: implications for the classroom. Retrieved from: https://www.nature.com/articles/npjscilearn201611
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AuthorHannah Brewington Archives
November 2018
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