Using responses collected from our shared measurement system, the SOAR Portal, Data Dive shares insights into the challenges faced by students with disabilities and offers resources to support them.
Are Eustressed or Distressed this Semester?
Eustress (yo͞o-stress), in contrast to distress, is a beneficial form of stress that has a positive effect on mind and body, can help one develop resilience, and increase confidence.
Aggregated responses from the four Fall 2023 semester monthly check-ins identified students’ second month of classes as having the highest rate of feeling ‘overwhelmed and stressed’ – a 26.5% increase from the first month. However, toward the end of the semester, feelings of ‘challenging but rewarding’ surpassed feelings of being ‘overwhelmed and stressful’!
So, while the initial increase in stress levels during a semester may seem high, it is important to recognize that not all stress is bad stress.
Early research by Yerkes and Dodson identified a psychological theory that describes the relationship between stress (or arousal) and performance, in which a bell curve demonstrates optimum performance levels are achieved with a moderate amount of arousal. However, too little or too much stress can hinder performance. As one approaches the “stress zone” seen in the graphic below, eustress decreases and distress increases.
A few ways to stay out of the “stress zone” include finding successful strategies to manage your workload, setting achievable goals, developing a support system, and taking care of your physical health.
Have you found ways to achieve your optimum stress level?
Peer Advice
“Take time for you! It’s okay and necessary to manage your mental health and well-being while you work hard to achieve what you want to in school. You can’t do one without the other!”
“No matter what challenge you have in life you have to keep pushing … I will not give up and will continue to find as much help as I can get and try my best to find ways to succeed.”
“Control the controllable.”
Student-to-Faculty Advice
“Asking questions oriented around [student’s] success rather than their limitations can be of incredible use in finding what will be most beneficial.”
“Patience and understanding is very important when trying to help stressed out college students. Remember you were a student once.”
“[Be] more proactive in scheduling events, meetings, performing check-ins, or sharing resources”
Supporting Research and Resources
- Student Guide: College Student’s Guide to Stress Management
- Article: How to Be Stressed in College
- Faculty Guide: Managing Student Stress through Course Design
- Research: An Examination of Stress in College Students Over the Course of a Semester
Go to the Resources Home Page
