How To Balance Academic Pressure and Mental Health in College

Balancing Academic Pressure and Mental Health

College can be a pressure cooker for mental health challenges. When transitioning to college, the combination of a new environment and intense academic demands of taking a full course load, maintaining high grades, writing papers, and choosing a major can add more stress to an already overwhelming experience.

Even high-achieving high school graduates at the top of their class are now in a bigger pool surrounded by thousands of other brilliant minds. The competition and struggle to succeed academically and fit in socially can be stressful for someone experiencing it for the first time.

While it is important to strive for academic excellence and flourish socially in college, it is equally important to redefine “academic excellence” to suit you best and learn how to navigate this immense pressure while protecting your mental health.

It’s important to learn how to balance the pressures of college so you can succeed academically, thrive socially, and protect your mental health.

Tips on How to Balance Academic Pressure and Maintain Mental Wellness

1. Set achievable, reasonable expectations

If you were a straight A student in high school, it may be unreasonable to assume you will make straight A’s in college, as it is more difficult and a new environment. It is important to set realistic goals, meaning that maybe maintaining a B average is healthy and realistic. Instead of being hyper-focused on grades, choose classes that expand your mind and bring enjoyment. This is also true for your course load; overloading yourself with challenging core courses may be too much, and instead, it may be wise to balance out your challenging courses with a couple of easy, fun electives that interest you. Ease your way into challenges, so you are not overwhelmed initially.

When choosing a major, there is a lot of pressure to decide immediately within the first year or even the first semester. Still, it is okay to explore your options and take different courses to understand what motivates you and what you are capable of and excel at. Many schools have student success services and academic counselors who you can talk to about your struggles and who can provide resources to help you manage your workload.

2. Practice self-care

Self-care is about regularly caring for both your mind and body. Getting enough sleep is essential for college students, as is staying hydrated, eating a nutritious and balanced diet, and exercising regularly are all necessary daily self-care must-dos to handle the pressures associated with success in college.

Other forms of self-care include spending time outside, reading a book for pleasure, soaking in some sunshine at the pool, binge-watching your favorite television show, going for a massage, hanging out with friends, or any other activity that puts you at ease. Self-care routines aim to make you feel rejuvenated and happy so you can take on difficult challenges in college life.

3. Prioritize what is important to you

Prioritizing your time and the people you care about is important when you have a busy college life. Academics, self-care, family, and friends are the usual priorities for college students. Maybe you have a part-time job, which can also be a priority. Sometimes, your priorities shift, and you must put your academics above your social life, or maybe your family is stressing you out, and you need to prioritize other things that bring you joy. Choose your priorities wisely and keep distractions at bay. Common college distractions include social media, college parties, and toxic friendships.

4. Organize your schedule and stick to a routine

Time management is an important learned skill you must adopt in college to succeed academically and protect your mental health. The key to stress management is time management, and different techniques may work for different people. You can try:

• Limiting distractions when you study by turning off your phone
• Sticking to a strict study schedule by blocking out study times
• Working intensely for a certain amount of time and then taking a short break (known as the pomodoro technique)

Create a routine that works for you and manages your study time, social life, and self-care activities. Maybe you spend Saturday nights out with friends as a reward for studying all day on Saturday and then going for a run or some other kind of outdoor physical activity on Sunday. Keeping a routine, even on the weekends, can help you manage your priorities, stress level, and academic success and allow you to say “no” to distractions when they arise because you already have a set schedule.

5. Acknowledge your successes, and don’t dwell on your failures

Eventually, you will receive a bad grade on an exam or in a course, or you may have to drop or retake a class. Failure is part of the college experience but can be used as a learning tool. Instead of dwelling on them, learn from them and move on. Celebrate every success, whether it is finishing a paper, doing well on an exam, passing a challenging course, or making a new study partner.

6. Do fun things

College is mentally taxing but is also an opportunity to have a lot of fun and experience many new things. Go out with friends, have fun, enroll in a “fun elective course,” be a tourist in your college town, and learn something new. You have the rest of your life to be serious in your career, and college is a transition between young adulthood and jumping into serious adulting when starting a career, so don’t forget to enjoy yourself!

7. Get support

Utilizing support options such as attending on-campus therapy, communicating with your professors, or getting a tutor for difficult subjects can keep you on track. Many colleges offer group tutoring sessions for free, drop-in hours where you can receive help from a TA or professor, study groups, and free therapy. You may also find private tutors for lower student rates or even free. Take advantage of these types of resources immediately to get ahead instead of trying to catch up if you get behind. Some common resources include tutoring centers, writing centers (to get help writing papers), the campus library, a student health center, a career center, a multicultural center, and more.

How to Handle Outside Pressure

There is enough pressure from yourself when it comes time to succeed in college. Still, family members, specifically parents, often put a lot of pressure on their college kids to perform well in college “so they can graduate and get a good job.”

If you feel outside stress from your family, it is important to address this with them and explain how you feel and that their additive stress is making things worse. Explain that you are grateful they care about you and offer ways that they can encourage, support, and help you instead of putting pressure on you. If your family members cannot adhere to these boundaries, you may have to distance yourself and take a step back from them so you can focus on your current priorities.

How Many College Students Feel Academic Pressure?

In a Gallup survey, 66% of college students admitted to experiencing stress on a daily basis. The American Institute of Stress furthers this idea and cites that 45% of college students feel as though they experience “above average” stress levels. While stressors for this age group are not solely academic, the American Psychological Association found that 87% of college students say their education is a significant source of stress.

Often, a stigma is associated with admitting this type of stress, especially in elite universities. College students are naturally driven, so acknowledging that you feel stressed or are struggling can often be difficult, which is most likely why these statistics vary greatly and many go unreported.

How Many College Students Struggle with Their Mental Health?

Mental health crises in college students are becoming more prevalent on college campuses, as studies are showing that depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideations are at an all-time high. In 2022, the American College Health Association published results from their 2022 Undergraduate Report, revealing that approximately 77% of students experienced some psychological distress, either moderate or severe. Additionally, 54% experienced loneliness, and 30% had exhibited suicidal behavior.

Research from the National Institute of Mental Health emphasizes that the human brain is not fully developed until the early to mid-twenties, meaning that college students are still undergoing brain development in the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for decision-making, planning, and prioritizing. This can impact academic performance as a college courseload requires immense organization and planning in terms of studying for exams, writing papers, and managing time.

When to Seek Professional Support

It is best to connect with a professional support system immediately, even before you begin to experience college stress or mental health symptoms. Professional support can often be preventative and help you build healthy tools and coping mechanisms. Mental health support is often free on college campuses from the student health center, so it may be wise to become acquainted with these services early on, even if you are not interested in seeking therapy as a preventive measure. Having these resources and knowing where to go when needed can be helpful.

There are certain warning signs where you should seek professional support, and these include:

• Intense feelings of stress that are preventing you from succeeding
• Feelings of depression or anxiety
• Social isolation
• Suicidal thoughts
• Engaging in harmful behaviors such as binge eating or substance abuse
• Isolating yourself from others
• Decrease in self-worth
• Inability to manage your course load or daily tasks

If you are experiencing any of these signs, seek support from a mental health or medical professional as soon as possible.

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, college will be filled with exciting, new, and sometimes challenging experiences. These experiences can often be sources of elevated stress, so it’s important to know and practice healthy coping techniques when these situations arise. Remember to prioritize your mental health and seek appropriate help when needed so your time in college can be as stress-free as possible.