As much as college can be a place of excitement, new memories, friends, and experiences it can also be a very stressful time for students. Many first-year students struggle to find the balance between having an active social life and balancing all their new school responsibilities and assignments.
Coming in as a first-year nursing student, I know this feeling all too well. I was overwhelmed by my new environment and being away from home. On top of that, I was in nursing school and had to put so much effort into studying and completing assignments on time. I wanted so badly to be successful in the Rutgers–Camden nursing program, I thought the only way to do that was to completely alienate myself and not do anything else besides school work. Although this seemed like the right thing to do at the time, it ultimately led to the highest stress levels I have ever had.
To properly manage school-related stress, students should incorporate more activities into their daily routines and practice time management. For me, I started to get involved on campus in different clubs and activities. I soon noticed a positive change in my mood. I did not think I had time for these activities, but I was unaware of how important it is to be well-rounded and the instrumental effect it would have on my mental health. Rutgers–Camden also helped by providing some very important tools to help minimize my stress. I took advantage of the health services office where I used the therapy to talk out my stress and develop coping mechanisms. I was able to form study groups and get connected with people going through the same experiences as myself. It made me feel less alone and supported. I was also able to start adding activities such as going to the Rutgers gym and meditation. I then needed to adjust my time management skills, so I sat down and mapped out times for studying, fun, and periods of rest. This change was essential to helping me manage my stress and making my workload seem small. I was still very busy, but it wasn’t all work, I was busy having fun too!
Stress in college is inevitable and there are bound to be situations that seem too great to overcome. This is true for all students regardless of the major, but I can speak firsthand for nursing students. One of the biggest components of managing stress is managing events in your life. Be intentional in making some time for fun, work, friends, family, and most importantly time for yourself. There are 24 hours in the day and more than enough time for all of these things if you put your mind to it.