According to NHS (2021), in most cases, stress is a very positive factor that helps us deal with different challenging situations effectively. However, the level of stress should be moderate so it does not affect the mental and physical health of people. For students in final year, it is very likely that they develop some kind of mental stress due to various factors. In the following paper, a very similar case will be discussed to explore the different techniques that can be used to cope with such a situation.
Any student in his final year of graduation has so many things to worry about such as money, grades, job, etc., and together, these factors put great stress. However, it is very important to keep the stress level as minimum as possible so it becomes a strength for the students to deal with stressors and not their weakness that results in many health problems such as depression and anxiety. For example, in our case study, a student in his final year has been informed that his GPA is not good enough to get him a job very easily, therefore, he needs to perform an excellent job to sell himself. In this situation, it is very usual for anyone to become stressed. However, the stress should improve the efficiency of the student and not cause further problems for him.
But in the current scenario, it can be assessed that upon having a perception of future risks he might have changed his day-to-day activities, health, and sleeping patterns based on his current situation. It is very likely that when people want to achieve a lot in their life in less time, they change their sleeping habits to work as much as they can on a daily basis. So, from changing their sleeping patterns, it is perceived that he may be working more than his previous level to improve his academic score and have some distinctions that can earn him a good job. Also, going out with friends is an indication that he is managing his work effectively and participating in social activities to maintain his mental strength.
However, based on his current health conditions that he is feeling down and having more frequent colds, it seems that stress is gradually affecting his health. According to NHS (2021), some of the symptoms that indicate that someone has stress include: having a feeling of being anxious, having sleep problems, and finding it difficult to concentrate. Therefore, he needs to analyze the different stressors and devise strategies to cope with them. The most prominent stressor, in this regard, for any student in his final year is his academic scores which are based on different exams and have a significant impact on the successful career of the students (Wuthrich et al., 2020).
There are some other factors as well that he might think of to deal with the current situation such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, having proper sleep, not comparing himself with others all the time, having regular exercise, and participating in various relaxing social activities. Similarly, instead of worrying about the future, he needs to focus on the current resources and make a plan to get maximum use of them without hurting his mental and physical health. And if at some point, he finds it difficult then he must communicate this problem with others who he thinks can help him with their suggestions or moral support.
To conclude, stress in the last academic year is very common and students need to use this for their better performance. Therefore, if I experience the same situation as that of the student discussed in the scenario, I will use the same strategies and also recommend them to another student.
References
NHS. (2021, February 2). Student stress. Nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/help-for-teenagers-young-adults-and-students/student-stress-self-help-tips/
Wuthrich, V. M., Jagiello, T., & Azzi, V. (2020). Academic Stress in the Final Years of School: A Systematic Literature Review. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 51(6), 986–1015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-00981-y
