[SPEAKER_00]
Chapter
seven,
academic
planning
and
staying
on
track.
You're on the road to success when you realize that failure is only a detour.
Knowing that college students often experience stress, Iglesias explored whether teaching
about how to manage stress, reduce their stress levels.
Specifically, the research question was, does the stress management program for undergraduate students decrease stress levels?
A total of a hundred and thirty-six second-year college students completed a questionnaire about a variety of psychological factors such as stress and anxiety.
Eighty-nine of these students indicated they wanted to improve their stress management skills and a group of ten students was randomly selected to do so.
The other students had an opportunity to participate after the study was over.
the selected students participated in a stress management program that taught them about various coping skills such as deep breathing, relaxation, visual imagery, time management, and challenging thoughts.
In addition to completing the questionnaire, these students also had their psychophysiological stress levels measured through saliva and a computer-based polygraph.
Stress levels were assessed prior to and after the intervention.
the end of the stress management program students had lower levels of stress and anxiety this was evidenced by lower scores on anxiety inventories and lower levels of salivary cortisol these results suggest that learning about stress management techniques does reduce stress levels in college students
College students can take advantage of stress management workshops or individual counseling to learn how to use techniques such as relaxation, deep breathing, visual imagery, time management and shifting negative thoughts.
Workshops on these topics may be offered through the Counseling or Student Activities Office.
Learning these skills can improve your ability to manage stress and can also positively impact learning in general.
Academic planning involves mapping out a plan for completing all the academic requirements needed for graduation.
This includes identifying which electives to take and determining what additional learning opportunities, such as co-curricular activities and study abroad, you would like to take advantage of as a college student.
Planning can also help you complete your degree in a timely fashion.
As you know, you will need to complete a variety of required courses to graduate and many of these courses are sequential in nature.
This means that there will be some courses that need to be taken in a certain order.
If you do not take some of the required courses in the beginning of the sequence early on in your college journey,
you may have difficulty graduating on schedule.
Mapping out an academic plan will help you see when courses need to be taken so that you can stay on track with your graduation timeline.
In addition, there may be amazing opportunities such as internships and study abroad experiences that need to be planned well in advance.
Most colleges or universities will assign you an advisor
Colleges and universities use a variety of different job titles, such as advisor, counselor, student development specialist, mentor, and coach to describe this position.
We will use the term advisor in this section as it is still the most widely used title.
Advisors serve as your academic and career mentor, helping you determine your academic and career goals and then assisting you with mapping out a plan to achieve these goals.
Too often, students rely solely on information from their peers instead of getting information from campus experts such as advisors.
Your advisor has professional and institutional expertise that your friends may not have.
Students who use advising services, as compared to students who do not, have an increased knowledge of resources and academic requirements.
Higher grade point point averages are more likely to continue in college
have higher levels of self-efficacy, and are more likely to graduate.
Using their professional experiences and background, advisors provide you with a wide array of support and services.
Advisors can engage you in self-assessment, help you identify your goals, help you develop strategies to monitor your progress and achievement, connect you to academic and career resources,
encourage and support you, help you make networking connections, and assist you with mapping out an educational and career plan.
By meeting with your advisor, you'll be better informed of opportunities aligned to your goals so that you can take full advantage of the offerings and experiences at your college.
For example, advisors can share information about upcoming events related to various career fields or new internship opportunities.
and finding opportunities to learn skills and network will help you reach your goals.
In a study conducted by Christian and Sprinkle, students noted that advisors also provided students with motivation.
This can be particularly helpful and important if you are struggling with an academic task or are feeling overwhelmed.
Your advisor can serve as a great source of support throughout your college journey and beyond.
Knowing the curriculum structure at your institution provides you with valuable information you can use to make good academic choices.
Although curriculum structure will of course vary from institution to institution, there are some common elements that are generally true at most institutions.
Most degree programs can be broken down into three main components.
general education or core requirements that all students must take regardless of selected major, major courses in your area of interest, and electives.
Students who understand curriculum structure will be more likely to graduate unscheduled because they will choose courses that fulfill these graduation requirements.
The general education coursework is designed to help you develop general knowledge and problem solving skills that will help you be a productive citizen while also benefiting you in your desired career.
The general education or core requirement structure varies from college to college.
However, most colleges and universities require standard categories such as communication, math, sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Some students struggle with understanding the value and purpose of general education or core courses that may not on the surface seem to be directly related to their major.
However, research has found that general education courses are beneficial.
Specifically, a liberal arts education has been found to positively connect to lifelong learning, intercultural effectiveness, the ability to be a leader, and overall well-being.
Understanding the value of general education course and major requirements can increase your motivation to succeed.
As you would expect, you will also need to complete a series of major-specific courses to graduate.
Every discipline or field requires specific skills and background knowledge to be successful, and faculty members have carefully designed learning experiences and courses that will prepare you for a career in your field of interest or provide you with the necessary foundation for success in graduate studies.
Taking the required coursework in your declared major will help you learn the discipline-specific knowledge and skills related to your area of study.
For example, careers in the health field will require significant coursework in the sciences.
Related internships or other experiential learning opportunities may also be required.
For example, students majoring in education will need to participate in student teaching.
You also have a number of free electives.
At many colleges and universities, you have the freedom to choose whichever courses interest you, but may elect to choose a minor.
Some colleges or universities may require you to choose a minor.
A minor is a great way to gain a more in-depth knowledge in an area of interest while still having some free electives to explore other areas as well.
Although the number of requirements can vary significantly from one college to another, minor requirements are typically equivalent to half of the courses required for a major.
Some students want to explore two fields in depth.
If this is the case for you, you may want to consider a double major.
, having a strong in-depth foundation in two different disciplines can expand your career options.
However, one of the challenges associated with a double major is being able to complete all requirements on schedule.
Although this may be possible, check with your academic advisor to confirm that this is the case.
Good planning is essential.
If you choose to double major, you probably will not have many or perhaps even any free electives.
, meeting with your advisor to map out your plan will help you see the big picture related to your degree requirements.
This can be particularly important when there are courses that need to be taken in a particular order, which is the case when courses have prerequisites or core requisites.
English one is typically a prerequisite for English two.
An introduction to psychology is often a prerequisite for most other psychology courses.
Core requisites are courses that you need to take at the same time or before as another desired course.
For example, you may need to take a math course at the same time as or before a science course.
This is because the content is related or the skills will be needed for success in the current course.
In some instances, there could be a series of courses that need to be taken in a specific order.
In these situations, if you do not start the first course in the sequence early enough, you may not be able to graduate when originally planned.
Therefore, it is critical that you start meeting with your advisor during your first semester.
Effective planning will help you meet your goals in a timely fashion.
You can find information about prerequisites, co-requisites, requisites, and sequencing issues related to your curriculum on the college or university website.
It is usually found in the college catalog section, but may also be on the department's website.
Ask your advisor or academic department for assistance if you have difficulty finding the degree requirements for your major.
or have questions about the required courses or experiences.
You can also explore the pros and cons associated with double majors and minors.
The sooner you decide on whether you want to choose a minor or double major, the better.
This will enable you to plan well and graduate on schedule.
Remember, you do not make it to the graduation ceremony based on how long you are a student or the number of credits you have earned.
Instead, graduating is based on whether you have completed the required courses, so learning what is expected of you during your first semester is very helpful.
To complete a bachelor's degree in four years, you will need to take approximately fifteen credits per semester or thirty credits per year.
, the exact number of courses can vary based on your institution and major specific requirements.
You can, of course, attend part-time, but it will then take you much longer to meet the graduation requirements.
Ask your advisor to help you map a multi-year educational plan.
Most colleges have mapping or planning tools built into their online registration system.
Many systems allow you to try out what-if scenarios.
For example, the online system may be able to map out how your plan would change if you decided to change your major, add a minor, opted not to take summer courses, or if you needed to go to school part-time due to personal or family issues.
Planning is critical so that you get the most out of your college experience and complete your degree requirements on schedule.
Experiential learning typically refers to learning skills and knowledge beyond what the traditional classroom experience offers.
Examples of experiential learning opportunities include internships, service learning, and studying abroad.
Your college or university may require you to participate in one or more types of experiential learning to graduate.
If you're not required, you will still want to explore these amazing opportunities and determine whether you would like to take advantage of these incredibly valuable experiences.
Talk to your advisor about what options are available and build them into your educational plan.
According to a national survey, many college graduates
reported that their experiential learning experiences were the most valuable part of their college experience.
Researchers have found that students reported higher levels of connection to classmates and their instructor increased motivation and improved learning when they engaged in experiential learning.
Experiential learning may be especially helpful to students who identify with a marginalized group and feel disconnected to the campus community because through these experiences they can make important connections and expand their network.
Employers have indicated that they are more likely to hire college graduates with experiential learning experiences.
Employers especially value the problem solving, project management, and communication skills that students learn during experiential learning opportunities, such as internships.
They also value employees who exhibit timeliness, initiative, commitment to quality work, and who accept criticism, skills often developed via internships and related experiences.
Consider adding experiential learning opportunities such as internships or study abroad to your educational plan.
Internships are opportunities for you to gain work experience in your field of study while also earning credit toward graduation.
Internships enable you to apply what you have been learning in your coursework to a real work environment.
Based on a review of fifty-seven different studies, Velez and Gainer found that internships benefit students, employers, and colleges and universities in many ways.
Students benefit through increased employment opportunities, improvement of skills needed in their future career, and receiving guidance related to the career decision-making process.
In a study conducted by Barnett, students who took advantage of internship opportunities learn the importance of communication, autonomy, and teamwork, leaving their internship with more realistic expectations about what it takes to be successful in the workplace.
Other researchers have found that students increase their skills and strengthen their commitment to and identify with their chosen field of study.
Internships can provide you with valuable work experience that can strengthen your resume.
Internships are also connected to an increased likelihood of being employed full-time after graduation and earning higher salaries.
In a study conducted by Callanan and Benzing, it was found that fifty-one percent of seniors who did an internship had a job offer after graduation while only thirteen percent of students who did not do an internship had secured a job.
Weibull also found that students who participated in internships received more job offers.
By hiring interns, employers benefit from their enthusiasm, creative ideas and eagerness to learn new skills.
It also costs less to hire an intern versus a professional staff person, so it's a financial savings to employers.
Internships also provide companies with an opportunity to see if an individual is a good fit for a permanent position after their graduation.
As you can imagine, many employers prefer to hire a current intern or former intern for a full-time position over an external candidate whom they've never met.
In research reviewed by Galbraith and Mondal, it was reported that sixty-two percent of interns were offered employment.
Colleges and universities benefit from internships because they are seen as essential marketing tools to attract students.
Students are more likely to attend colleges and universities with strong internship programs.
Thus, internships can enhance the college or university's reputation.
Most students participate in internships in their junior or senior years of college.
but there may be opportunities to get involved with this type of experience, even as a first-year or second-year student.
Gaining internship or related work experience earlier versus later can help you determine if you are on the best career path.
Working in your desired field is a great way to get a first-hand look at the working environment.
This hands-on learning experience may validate your career choice, strengthening your desire to work in the field.
Or you may discover that this career is not what you expected and you may even decide to change your major or your career goal.
Either way, the experience is valuable.
Internships require time and therefore can be a challenge to many students who have limited time.
Students working full-time, for example, may not have any additional hours to devote to an internship experience.
Even for those working part-time, the internship schedule might conflict with current work, school, or family responsibilities.
In these situations, creative solutions may be needed.
Investigate virtual internship experiences, which significantly increased because of the COVID-pandemic, as these experiences would not require travel time and may offer flexible hours.
Explore whether there is an internship or job shadowing, where you learn about a career by following someone in that career for a day or so.
Opportunity within your current organization.
For example, if you are a marketing student working at a restaurant, ask your supervisor if you might be able to do a flexible internship with the marketing department for that restaurant chain.
For smaller companies without a marketing department, you can inquire about if they would be interested in you developing or enhancing their social media presence.
You might be able to complete these tasks on your breaks or before or after your shift.
In addition to internships, another way to gain work experience in college is cooperative education programs, often referred to as co-ops.
Co-ops are often full-time, paid, practical working experiences, whereas internships are often part-time and may be paid or unpaid.
Both internships and cooperative education programs can take place during a regular fall or spring semester or during a summer session.
Consult with your advisor or the Career Services Department to find out what types of internships and cooperative education programs are available at your college or university.
Studying abroad involves going to another country to learn and continue your studies.
When you study abroad, you are not only immersed in the culture and language of another country, but will continue to make progress toward your degree requirements because you will be taking college courses.
Many colleges offer study abroad opportunities in a variety of formats, such as full semester or year-long experiences and briefer experiences in the summer, winter, or even during spring break.
Although some students may eagerly jump at study abroad opportunities, others may be more hesitant to do so.
This new learning experience may be outside your comfort zone, but remember you learn more when you engage in new experiences.
When deciding if studying abroad is the right choice for you, consider the research.
Researchers have found that students who engaged in study abroad were more likely to graduate on time with a higher grade point average than students who did not.
Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.
Learning skills and knowledge about the course content is a key component and the service is integrated into the course curriculum.
Both the targeted community and the student benefit from service learning.
Students find service learning to be quite rewarding because they know that they are making a difference through their community service work.
Researchers have found that benefits of participating in service learning included improved skills, confidence, motivation, and awareness of and commitment to social justice issues.
The targeted agency or organization also benefits.
For example, Trail Ross required students in a gerontology course to facilitate
programs in an adult daycare program for the late adulthood population.
This project benefited the individuals at the adult day program while assisting the students with learning about this population and building communication skills.
Explore service learning opportunities to learn while making a difference in your community.
Be sure to add experiential learning to your list of what to discuss with your advisor.
Your advisor is available to help you explore all the options for developing skills and learning related to your goals.
Discuss majors and career options that align with your values and interests and then map out an educational plan.
Monitoring your progress towards goals will increase the likelihood that you will meet with success.
Researchers have found that the more frequently you monitor your progress towards your goals, the more likely you are to achieve your goals.
These researchers who evaluated a hundred and thirty eight studies found that success was higher when individuals share their progress with others and documented it.
Self-regulated learners are those who are able to monitor their abilities and employ strategies to improve upon their learning.
According to Schlummer and Brennan, self-regulation involves the following three steps.
Setting goals, monitoring progress towards these goals, and making changes as needed so that the goal can be realized.
Research shows that students who engage in self-regulatory actions before, during, and after learning activities are more likely to meet with success and achieve at high levels.
The self-regulation process has also been found to relate to better adjustment to college and being better able to think critically.
Thus, it is a good idea to frequently ask yourself, how am I doing?
There are a variety of strategies that you can use to monitor your progress.
According to Bircher, there are two main types of feedback that you can use to assess your academic process, progress, cognitive, and outcome feedback.
Cognitive feedback occurs during the homework or studying process.
It involves you making judgments about your progress to guide your behaviors.
One widely known cognitive feedback approach is KWL.
The KWL approach involves writing down what you already know and what you want to know before a lesson and then writing down what you learned after the lesson.
According to research conducted by DaSilva, using the KWL approach improves students' self-regulation skills.
Assessing your progress towards studying for an exam can help you decide how much more you need to study and which concepts or topics you should target.
The challenge with cognitive feedback, though, is that it is sometimes difficult to know if your assessment is accurate.
Whenever possible, rely on outside indicators such as your performance on online practice quizzes to help you make more accurate judgments.
After you receive a grade or other feedback from your professor, you will want to engage in reflection using outcome feedback.
To guide your future actions, researchers have found that reflecting on your performance leads to increased success in the future.
Outcome feedback can play an important role in helping you determine what actions worked well and what you plan to do differently before the next exam, presentation, or project.
Everyone has successful experiences and everyone makes mistakes.
It's a part of life and it will be a part of your college experience.
Mistakes are an important part of the learning journey.
As you reflect on your progress, it is very possible and perhaps even likely that you may not be satisfied with your progress towards your goals.
It is not uncommon for students in their first semester of college to struggle.
Students who are not on track with their goals can experience a range of emotions, including disappointment.
This is natural.
If this happens to you, know that you are not alone.
The key is that you do not let yourself stay off track.
Instead, you will have to find ways to get back on the road to success.
Understanding attribution theory will help you with this task.
Attribution theory looks at how successes and failures are interpreted.
For example, why do you think you were successful?
Why do you think you failed?
What caused the success or failure?
Attributions can be internal or external and changeable or unchangeable.
Your interpretation of your mistakes or failures plays a large role in whether you achieve success.
Grant and Dweck conducted a series of research experiments and found that students with ability-based goals, goals that were perceived to be unchangeable,
performed much worse than students with learning-based goals that were perceived as changeable.
Based on this research, focusing on what you can change and what is within your control is a good idea.
Researchers have found that brief interventions can help you interpret your failures and successes more productively.
In this study, college students who participated in a one-hour training on the importance of focusing on changeable internal factors had course grades and overall grade point averages that were almost one letter grade higher than students who did not participate in this training.
This is amazing, a one-hour training course and almost an entire letter grade higher.
To take advantage of this research finding, simply invest a little of your time to focus on the importance of attributions.
Being resilient and developing grit.
Life can be challenging sometimes.
However, these challenges do not have to stop you from meeting with success.
In fact, many individuals can persevere despite being faced with numerous adverse or challenging situations.
Resilience and grit are two important concepts that explain what contributes to successful outcomes, even when you are faced with significant challenges.
Resilience is a person's ability to bounce back after experiencing difficult, stressful, or even traumatic events.
Being resilient is connected to your overall well-being.
Grit is related to resilience because in part it is about your ability to be resilient when faced with adversity, but it requires more than resilience.
Grit also involves being deeply committed to do something to
committed to something and sticking with it on a long-term basis.
Duckworth defines grit as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, meaning individuals continue to work toward goals even when faced with failure or challenges along the way.
Grit has been found to be associated with graduating on schedule,
Effective stress management and high levels of motivation are needed to be resilient and gritty.
Developing effective stress management strategies can help you reduce stress levels and cope with the stressors that you encounter so that you can continue to work toward and achieve your goals.
Putting motivational theories into practice so that you can get and stay motivated will help you stick with your goals despite challenges you may face.
Stress is a part of life.
Everyone has experienced stress from positive events and situations, such as starting a new job, and negative events and situations, such as a relationship ending.
Change is stressful.
So just starting a new journey, such as college, is reason enough to feel some level of stress.
A research study conducted by Pearsall and Kim
found that most college students reported having a moderate amount of stress, so if you're feeling stressed, know that you are not alone.
Ricks found that stress levels often increase throughout the semester.
Keeping your stress at a moderate level will lead you to your best performance.
Some anxiety is good because it can serve as energy to help you perform well.
, Aiden found that stress was positive because students who were experiencing stress did better academically.
Stress related to tasks that are connected to goals and perceived to be challenging but doable improves performance.
This positive type of anxiety is referred to as facilitative anxiety.
Researchers have found that when students view their anxiety as facilitative, this leads to improved academic performance.
Too much anxiety, however, is not good and can hinder your performance.
This is referred to as debilitating anxiety.
In a national survey conducted by the American College Health Association, college students identified stress as the number one impediment to academic performance.
Often students from marginalized populations can experience higher levels of stress.
Hernandez and Voloda found that Latinx students, for example, experienced high levels of stress due to racial microaggressions, and this can be connected to increased mental health issues.
Students who learn about how to effectively manage their stress report having fewer symptoms of anxiety and stress.
To help you keep anxiety at a moderate and productive level, you can use a variety of stress management techniques that work.
Sleeping well, eating healthily and exercising are all essential stress management strategies.
Practicing these basic stress management techniques can help you keep stress at a manageable level and cope effectively.
Sleeping, eating and exercising habits impact your academic success.
Studies show that poor sleep patterns are associated with lower academic performance.
In a study by Orzac, students reported that poor sleep affected the quality of their schoolwork.
Specifically, poor sleep led to students dropping a course, earning a lower grade on an important assignment, or the overall course, falling a sleeping class and skipping class.
They also found that students who did not report having an all-nighter, skipping sleep for an entire night, had higher grade point averages than students who did
who did report pulling all-nighters.
Unfortunately, most college students are not sleeping the optimal number of hours per night.
Sleeping too much or too little has been linked to physical and mental health issues.
Based on a survey with students from twenty-six countries, it was found that thirty-nine point two percent of students reported getting less than six hours of sleep per night.
Forty-six point nine percent reported getting seven to eight hours per night.
and thirteen point nine percent got more than nine hours per night.
Students also struggle with getting good quality sleep.
In a study conducted by Abu, only thirty eight point three percent of participants in the study were good sleepers, while forty five point five percent were poor sleepers, and seventeen point two percent were very poor sleepers.
Sleep is important, so take time to focus on how you can ensure you are getting the right amount of sleep and is of high quality.
To improve your sleep quality, try the following.
Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, going to sleep and waking up at similar times each day.
Establish a sleeping environment that is free of distractions and is quiet and dark.
Avoid caffeine in the evening hours.
engage in relaxing activities such as reading or listening to music prior to going to sleep, avoid use of technology prior to going to sleep, and exercise regularly.
Researchers have also found that eating healthy meals has been linked to increased school performance and higher self-esteem.
Students often face challenges with healthy eating habits due to limited time.
and they did not have time to prepare healthy meals.
To improve your eating habits, try the following.
Pack a healthy snack or lunch so you're not tempted by unhealthy options from the vending machines.
Choose healthy food options instead of sugary or salty snacks.
Notice when you eat and why.
Eat when you're hungry.
We often eat for emotional reasons such as feeling stressed.
When this happens, choose a stress management strategy that will help you manage your emotions.
Exercise can also help us prevent and combat stress.
Shulchan, for example, found that exercise improved mood and effect.
Physical activity has also been found to be connected to higher self-esteem and better academic performance.
Unfortunately, many college students are not engaging in physical activities on a regular basis, but instead are spending significant amounts of time sitting.
Lee and Kim found that sitting for long periods of time was connected to higher levels of stress, depression and anxiety.
Exercising for just thirty minutes a day can significantly improve your mood and ability to cope.
Although any type of physical activity can be beneficial, all us data found that walking in nature was an especially effective strategy.
Walking in nature reduced stress and improved mood more than walking on a treadmill.
Consult your doctor before you begin an exercise program to confirm that the program you select is a good one for you.
To increase your physical activity, try the following.
a longer route to walk to class.
Check out the fitness center on campus.
Establish a consistent schedule for exercising and stick with it.
Ask a friend to exercise with you.
Having a positive, productive mindset is one of the most powerful factors associated with being resilient.
Individuals who are hopeful or optimistic about the future are more likely to persevere when faced with challenging situations.
Researchers have found that being optimistic is linked to improved academic performance and lower dropout rates among college students.
Being optimistic and hopeful about the future can therefore help you meet with success in college.
The good news is that the feelings of hope and optimism can be learned.
Feldman and Dreher, for instance, found that a ninety-minute session
, un-hope resulted in higher levels of hope and purpose.
There are several ways you can become more optimistic.
Remember, it takes time and effort to change your thinking, but it can be done.
Here are some strategies.
Focus on the positive.
For instance, keep a journal and write down three to five positive events from each day.
Start each day with positive self-affirmations or thoughts such as, I can and will accomplish my goals today.
Talk about positive events with others.
When you catch yourself talking about something negative, force yourself to think of a positive part of the situation too.
Surround yourself with optimistic people.
Happiness can be contagious.
Carol Dweck has conducted numerous fascinating research studies on mindset about intelligence and how this plays a critical role in success.
Dweck identified two different types of mindset.
, individuals with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence is something they are born with and there is not much, if anything, that can be done to increase their intelligence.
In essence, it is viewed as fixed or set in stone.
If you experience failure and have a fixed mindset, it is likely you will give up because you think you are not smart enough to successfully complete the task, so there is no point in even trying.
Individuals with a growth mindset view intelligence as something that is changeable or malleable.
Believing intelligence can be improved with practice, effort, and learning.
If you have a growth mindset and experience failure, you will likely exert more effort or try different strategies, viewing the failure experience as a learning opportunity.
Because you're engaging in productive thoughts and actions, you're more likely to experience success with a growth mindset.
Research has found that students who learn about growth mindset are more successful.
In a study by Broda, for example, they found that Latinx students who participated in a growth mindset intervention improved their academic performance with grade point averages climbing by
zero point four in one semester.
The intervention involved reading a short article on how intelligence is malleable, reflecting and writing about times they used a growth mindset and sharing what they learned in a letter to another student.
Thus, learning about how you can increase your intelligence can help you meet with success.
Challenging non-productive thoughts is an important mindset stress management strategy.
Much of our stress caused by our interpretations or perceptions of events rather than the events themselves.
Not everyone experiences the same level of stress following the same event.
Individuals who perceive situations as being more negative tend to experience higher levels of stress.
Sometimes you can catastrophize an event, believing a situation is much worse than it truly is.
Shifting from negative interpretations to more realistic and productive ones can reduce your stress level and increase your motivation.
Ask yourself questions to help keep situations in perspective and to focus on the positive.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself.
, what evidence is there that my thoughts were true?
What would I tell a friend if they were experiencing the same thought?
What would someone who views this situation positively say?
And how much will this matter in the future?
Regardless of what type of challenging or stressful situation you encounter, being connected to others is one of the best predictors of whether you will be resilient.
I'm sorry.
Research has found that having a strong support system can help you stay in school and achieve academic success.
It is also associated with better mental health.
Hefner and Eisenberg, for instance, found that students who had a low-quality support system compared to students with a high-quality support system were six times more likely to be depressed.
Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to support systems.
Werner found that resilient individuals had at least one person in their lives who provided a high level of support.
It is not how many people you have in your support system, but rather whether you are receiving the support you need.
Some individuals may need only one or two important supportive people in their lives.
Others may need to expand beyond a few people and rely on a larger support network to meet their various needs.
researchers have shown that individuals with a high level of support were more likely to be resilient.
Although most students reported relying primarily on friends and family when they experience stress, expanding your support system to include others who understand your situation can help.
For example, a classmate may understand the challenges associated with school-related stress, while a coworker might better understand work-related stress.
During college, it can therefore be helpful to expand your support team to include faculty, staff and classmates who understand challenges related to being a college student.
There may be times when you need to talk with a professional about your personal stressors.
If this is the case, you can seek out a psychologist or counselor at your college or university.
Colleges often offer confidential counseling at no cost.
Referrals to outside agencies or psychologists in private practice can also be shared with you.
If you are struggling with significant issues, adding a mental health professional to your support network can be helpful.
Researchers have found that students who have used counseling services improved their grades.
Two excellent stress management strategies are muscle relaxation and mindfulness.
Because we often have physical tension in our bodies when we experience stress,
muscle relaxation strategies can also help reduce stress.
To use this technique, concentrate on one muscle at a time, tensing and relaxing the muscle before moving on to the next muscle.
The contrast between the tension and state of relaxation can be quite significant.
Research has shown that learning progressive muscle relaxation techniques can help you better cope with the stressors in your life.
, mindfulness is most commonly defined as the state of being attentive to and aware of what is taking place in the present.
Mindfulness requires you to draw your attention to what is happening now and your reactions to what is happening.
When practicing mindfulness, pay close attention to breathing sensations.
Focusing on your breathing brings your attention to what is happening at this moment, which is the primary goal.
Robin suggests
researchers have found that mindfulness is associated with positive
academic outcomes such as improved grades.
College students who practice mindfulness were also more likely to make decisions that were aligned with their goals and less likely to engage in negative coping strategies such as abusing alcohol.
Researchers have found that first-year students benefit from engaging in mindfulness-based stress reduction training.
Ramler, for example, found that participating in mindfulness training as part of a first year seminar course resulted in better adjustment to college and reduced stress levels as compared to students who were taking courses that did not include mindfulness training.
Researchers have been investigating the neuroscientific evidence behind the practice of mindfulness.
Tang noted that there is emerging evidence that mindfulness meditation might cause neuroplastic changes in the structure and function of brain regions involved in regulation of attention, emotion and self-awareness.
As a result, individuals who practice mindfulness are less likely to experience high levels of stress and are more likely to experience improved well-being.
Stress Management in College Students:
Academic Planning:
Curriculum Structure:
Experiential Learning:
Internships:
Study Abroad:
Service Learning:
Service Learning Opportunities:
Educational Planning and Goal Setting:
Self-Regulated Learning:
Strategies for Effective Learning:
Health and Well-Being:
Mental Health and Mindset:
Social Support and Connection:
Stress Management Techniques:
Neuroscientific Insights on Mindfulness:
Section 1 notes go here
Here are section two's notes.