ACADEMIC STRESS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
To achieve academic success, many students find themselves overwhelmed and stressed—but is it worth it to sacrifice everything else?
Most students tend to indulge themselves with academics; they often spend their time studying to achieve their goals—neglecting other aspects of their lives, like socialization, physical health, and mental health. Such actions lead to academic stress as things get out of their hands.
According to a study in Frontiers in Psychology, academic stress is the primary factor that contributes to the decline of the mental health of students—they struggle to push through with their education due to many stressors in class, like the excessive amount of assignments and activities, students' lack of preparation, fear of failure, and poor learning foundation.
While academic stress arises, the overall well-being of students plummets; mental health disorders arise—like anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, and suicidal ideation; physical health collapses—leading to headaches, stomachaches, loss of appetite, and tiredness; academic performance plunges—resulting in poor grades, decreased motivation, and increased risk of dropping out.
On the other hand, several research studies suggest that the level of stress and its effect differ between students—meaning to say, they require different interventions and support systems. Learners experience distinct situations, varying in the burden they entail—the same goes for how the students themselves carry it out.
For instance, high-achieving students often face immense pressure to maintain top grades—thinking that they're nothing without them and developing perfectionist tendencies. This kind of mindset leads to burnout, anxiety, and a fear of failure, even when they perform well academically—feeling inadequate and constantly stressed, as their self-worth becomes tied to their grades.
Another case is students from underprivileged backgrounds—juggling both academic responsibilities and part-time jobs or family obligations. The same goes for the student leaders who are multi-tasking their academic and leadership duties. Without proper support and management, they may struggle to keep up with their peers, further worsening their stress.
Academic stress is a prevalent issue that has various implications for the mental, physical, and academic well-being. While the pursuit of academic success is important, Georgia Barbayannis et al. (2022), suggest that overall health and happiness should not be sacrificed—proper regulation and control should be applied to effectively manage stress.