Eighty percent of college students report ongoing stress. For adult students, the pressure can be both chronic and intense. You may be juggling many roles—parent, worker, spouse, child, and now, student.
The daily grind can be tough, but what may be even tougher are the high stakes. You know that your future success is closely tied to your performance in school. So when you’re trying to manage a toddler having a tantrum, a spouse who’s also stressed with everything that’s going on, and a paper deadline, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
The good news is that this is temporary. Your stress today buys higher earning potential and increased job opportunities tomorrow. With a better job and more money, you'll have more control over your life and schedule, access to high-quality childcare, and many other resources that can help life’s challenges feel less overwhelming. Here’s what you need to know about managing your stress until you graduate.
Stress is not just a temporary inconvenience. Although it’s normal to occasionally feel stressed in anticipation of a test or a big event at work, chronic stress is linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, a weaker immune system, depression, and other illnesses.
If you feel like you have more obligations than time in the day, you may feel like you're failing in every role. You might beat yourself up and wonder why everyone else seems to have no difficulties balancing school and everything else. The reality is that most adult students deal with stress. It’s not your fault. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty you can do to make it feel more bearable.
Managing stress begins before your workload gets out of control. Develop a ritual for getting into the right frame of mind before each semester. Some strategies that can help include:
Sleep is one of the most important ingredients in the recipe for good health. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll slog through each day with a foggy mind and little motivation. Sleep deprivation can weaken your immune system and make you more vulnerable to infections that take you out of school and work. It’s tempting to stay up late so you can squeeze as much time out of your day as possible, but those extra hours may come at a huge cost, sapping your productivity and destroying your mood. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, and make healthy sleep a priority.
If you have the motivation and drive to return to school, chances are you’re driven in other areas of life too. However, that doesn’t mean you should have to juggle all of your day-to-day responsibilities alone. Asking for help can feel difficult, but it’s critical to staying successful and reducing burnout. One of the best ways to overcome this is to turn to your inner circle first. Ask your spouse to pick up more slack. Work out a childcare and household chore schedule together. Consider investing in quality childcare so that your kids can learn and play while you're studying.
Then look for other opportunities to get—and possibly give—help. Can you trade carpool days with the dad down the street? Is your neighbor willing to watch your kids during the week if you’ll help her get a few hours of time on the weekend? Can your parents or siblings pick up your kids from school or walk your dog once or twice a week? The people who love you want to help you because they want you to thrive. But they may not know what to do. So ask them for what you need. You might be surprised by how willing they are to join your team.
A better career is just over the horizon. Running too fast, however, can actually backfire. If you load up on classes, you’ll have less time to invest in each course, and you may get lower grades. It’s good to be ambitious, but success also requires a realistic approach. That’s why SNU offers an innovative one-course-at-a-time model for adult students. You’ll gain the chance to get to know your professor, dig deeply into the material, and get better grades than you would get if you tackled an unmanageable load.
For many adult students, the challenges of parenthood are the biggest barrier. You want to spend time with your kids, and you may feel guilty for spending more time away from them or for checking on coursework when you’re supposed to be playing. Shake off those feelings of guilt, because a college degree is one of the best things you can do for your kids’ future. They will have more opportunities when you’re done, and you’ll almost certainly be able to spend more time with them. The stress is temporary; the benefits will last a lifetime.
Of course, eliminating your guilt doesn’t eliminate the many obligations of parenting. Discover how to entertain your kids in ways that can enrich their lives while giving you time to study. We’ve compiled a great list of resources for studying alongside kids. Or check out our suggestions for establishing a routine that works for every member of your family.
While we’re talking about routines, let’s consider your own. Getting up each day with no idea what you plan to do or when you will do it is inherently stressful. It becomes even more so when you don’t knock out key tasks. So set a routine and stick to it. There’s no right routine that works for everyone; instead, your goal should be to identify your strengths and find a schedule that caters to them. Some strategies for building a successful routine include:
Your habits will define your life as a student. Good habits are easy to repeat and require little thought. Bad habits can undermine your best efforts, and kicking them to the curb can feel impossible. So stop these bad habits before they begin—and if you’ve already adopted them, commit to quitting right away:
If you had a headache that just wouldn’t go away, you’d go to the doctor. A therapist is a treatment provider for your mind, and their role in combating stress is difficult to quantify. If you feel depressed, or if you’ve tried everything and the pressure is still unbearable, look into counseling. Your doctor can refer you, but SNU also offers a counseling center for students who struggle.
SNU believes in a holistic approach to education. We hope to help you excel at school while thriving in all other areas of your life. We’re here to help you manage financial aid concerns, get academic support when you need it, and nurture your spiritual life with the help of our chaplain. We invest deeply in each student, and that includes you. For more tips on how to succeed as an adult learner while managing stress, subscribe to our blog.