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Stress levels on college campuses are multiplying as quickly as Harlem Shake flash mobs. Young adults ages 18 to 33 reported the highest level of stress with a rating of 5.4 out of 10, according to the national Stress in America survey--an annual analysis by Harris Interactive for the American Psychological Association.
Americans across the board ranked their stress levels far above what they considered safe amounts. Most adults thought a level of 3.6 to be healthy, while estimating their own at around 4.9. Even inventions like Hot Booties have been unable to solve the stress problem.
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Many Americans feel that what would help their stress is an increase in support for stress management from healthcare providers. A little more than half of the participants said they received little or no assistance from providers. Out of the 69 percent who reported an increase in stress levels, only 33 percent had discussed solutions with their providers.
Particularly young people are in need of new ways to deal with stress. 39 percent of them reported an increase in stress over the past year, compared with 29 percent of those ages 67 or older. "Millennials [those ages 18 to 33] are growing up at a tough time," said Mike Hais, a market researcher and co-author of two books on that generation, to USA Today. "They were sheltered in many ways, with a lot of high expectations for what they should achieve. Individual failure is difficult to accept when confronted with a sense you're an important person and expected to achieve," Hais said.
On the Boston College campus there are many resources available to help students cope with the stress of a challenging academic environment and hunger to succeed. University Health Services has a section dedicated to stress management on its page in addition to numbers students can call if they need further assistance. One of these contacts is University Counseling Services, located in Gasson 001, where an appointment can even be made by stopping by their regular office hours (8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.) Monday through Friday. And as another way to de-stress there are many groups and resources available on campus that can allow students to partake in the next Bapst flash mob rather than watch it from nearby tables worried about how it has disrupted their study processes.
(Who's behind BC's "Harlem Shake"?)
Meidema comes from Queens, New York, and if you knew her that would explain a lot. She is an English major with a Creative Writing concentration, who hopes to one day have a more lucrative career than her interests suggest. She enjoys shopping, dancing, eating, rapping, and a whole lot of other verbs that are equally as awesome. She also enjoys being an Associate News Editor on the Gavel Media team, and encourages all y’all to follow its Facebook page!
