UNC Asheville students adapt to survive stressful conditions in unsure times By Richard Hyman Newswriting student Students say

focusing on positive successes and time-management skills help fight financial and academic stress. You have to think toward positives. We all hate doing work, but you have to look past that toward the positive grades and reactions of those who support you, said Timothy Murphy, a junior student of psychology at UNC Asheville. If you can figure out how to do well in what you want to do and visualize how success will make you feel, that will lead you to a good path. Officials advise doing what you love, or getting career counseling. If we work too hard at what we love, we get tired. The solution is rest. If you are not happy with what you are doing, you may need to look for something else. More than ever, people are in careers that their degrees arent in, and when students see that, it affects their choice of what degree they should get, what classes they should take, said Joesph Dowdy, a UNCA freshman. It could lead to the thought that maybe this is a waste of time. Burnout is considered to be a long-term stress reaction. Although various definitions of burnout exist, it is most commonly described as a psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, according to studies. I feel unmotivated at times, or stressed out and scatterbrained. When I do anything too much, I quit seeing the importance of it and have difficulty putting time and effort into it, Dowdy said. To remember the passion you used to have for something and then realize youve lost your motivation is really frusterating and depressing. The uncertain economy stresses many students about finding a job, and intensified struggles have been reported by the almost one in five students whose parents have experienced job loss, figures show. Students are struggling due to financial pressures, said Owain Albala, a UNCA sophomore student. The economy is not going so well, so I can understand how so many students can feel under pressure regarding finances. Being burned out means feeling empty, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often dont see any hope of positive change in their situations. Symptoms of burnout include lack of recognition or rewards for good work, unclear or overly demanding job expectations and doing work thats monotonous or unchallenging, officials report.

I know one friend last year who with all the credit hours he was taking was unable to spend time with his friends. He was either in class, doing work in his room or in the library so he was feeling frusterated and depressed, Albala said. According to studies, students find a great source of stress is juggling time between class, school work, and extra co-curricular activies while still trying to have free time to hang out with my family and friends. Time-management has kind of gone out the window for me a little bit, Dowdy said. Its going to take some adaptation and changes for me to improve. Nearly one in three college students say financial pressures are a big source of daily stress for them. 17 percent of students have considered dropping out of school in the past three months because of financial pressures, according to a study from 2009. Being here on your own money, taking a loan, or trying to make your parents proud can cause a lot of stress. That can motivate you positively, or can cause you to fall into a negative feedback loop, Murphy said. Because youre so worried and realize, this semester isnt going to go well, people are going to be dissapointed and Im going to run out of money. Burnout manifests itself by feeling exhausted because of study demands, having a cynical and detached attitude towards one's studies, and feeling incompetent as a student, according to studies. Some students are unaware of burnout, or accept it and fall further into depression and put their focus elsewhere. Because theyre not doing better, they feel they can only do worse, Murphy said. Stress is taking a toll on the everyday lives of college students and affects them academically and socially. Six out of 10 students report having felt so stressed they couldnt get their work done on one or more occasions, officials report. I would recommend taking counciling and finding methods of relieving stress, for those who are having difficulties, Albala said. Make sure you balance out your social life and educational goals. Its important to keep up grades, but also to once in a while breathe and relax in order to relieve stress.