Overwhelmed with Stress 

While the first year of college can seem like a frenetic race to learn to navigate college as a whole, a student's experience after the first year can seem like the weight of the world is on his or her shoulders.

Read more to learn about "College of the Overwhelmed"  and useful perspectives to guide your parenting.

Many students feel that accessing campus resources is a sign of weakness instead of strength. Yet the students who often do the best at college typically utilize a range 

of campus services on a fairly regular basis. We used to call these students our "frequent flyers." 

Over the years, college campuses have renamed tutoring centers as academic success or learning centers, largely in an effort to reduce any stigma that might have been associated with a need for tutoring . Interestingly, even a student who isn't struggling can benefit from scheduling extra "practice," by partaking in tutoring or study sessions.  This extra learning provides structured study time and extra insights that might never be gleaned during the 8:30AM lecture hall class.  Similarly, students are sometimes reluctant to seek counseling while at college and so a lot of the first-year supports are now built directly into a college's first-year experience program. As students progress with their education they often need to become a little more proactive in seeking out resources to support their learning and well being, but all colleges offer a range of programs and services to help students to do well and to feel good. Sometimes, with counseling, students feel that if they go once they will have to go every week forever. Yet even a single session at the counseling center, to discuss an issue that a student finds emotionally draining, can lead to a greater sense of well being.  

As parents, we can:

• let our student know that we are comfortable with him or her seeking help and accessing resources;
• remind our student about resources that exist and how they are there for one's benefit;
• share how we have periodically sought help and identify ways that doing so contributed to our success or reduced stress.    

Look for opportunities to reinforce that you see your son or daughter as strong and competent when he or she accesses campus resources that are offered to help your student succeed academically and emotionally. 

Did You Know? Insight - National College Health Assessment

In the Fall 2010 National College Health Assessment, students reported feeling overwhelmed within the last 12 months, by all they had to do, as follows:

Males surveyed - 72.5% felt overwhelmed

Females surveyed - 89.9% felt overwhelmed

Academics, intimate relationships, and finances continue to be ranked as "very traumatic or difficult to handle" for both male and female students.

 http://www.acha-ncha.org/reports_ACHA-NCHAII.html

Source: American College Health Association. American College Health Association - National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Executive Summary Fall 2010. Linthicum, MD: American College Health Association; 2011.