Stress because of need?

If you're about to pack your bags and head off for university at some time you've probably already experienced a twang of anxiety at the thought of leaving your home, family and friends. For those returning to university, the added pressures of deadlines, exams and money (or rather a lack of it) will be causing grief. Check out the main offenders:

Money, money, money

In a recent Student Living Report conducted by MORI, over half of the students asked (51%) considered their poor cash flow to be the worst aspect of University life. Students are expected to graduate, on average, around £12,000 in the red. It is estimated that students will work between 30 and 40 hours a week, while spending an extra 20-30 hours a week on lectures and study. It really doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that juggling this much work with a part-time job can put enormous strain on young people.

So what can you do to avoid money-related stress? First off, take advantage of the student services available to you. These include the accommodation office (who should have some tricks up their sleeves to help you find a place to rent at a reasonable price) and the good old Student Union, where you can get an NUS card and take advantage of all the discounts that come with it. But don't blow it all in one go. Learn to plan ahead and budget each semester.

Ups and downs

A British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) survey of student mental health found that the emotional problems students experience is growing increasingly severe. The number of students seeking help from therapists is rising faster than ever and at least 10% of those students that do seek counselling are suicidal. It's a pretty bleak picture, but hardly a surprising one when you consider all the pressures. Luckily, lots of students (nine out of 10 in the MORI poll) believe that going to university is a worthwhile experience and eight in 10 say it has set them in good stead for the rest of their working life. Phew! So how do you make sure that you leave university with such a positive outlook?

"Young people at university are fortunate that they have access to high quality counselling services," says John Cowley, the senior student counsellor at the University of Wales, Cardiff, "and counselling is more acceptable than ever as a solution to psychological distress."

So, if all the pressures start to get to you and you're showing all the signs of depression, get down to your GP who should be able to point you in the right direction. If the problem is stress or depression, start chewing the ear off of your student counsellor. You may feel that your problems are no different to anyone else's, but remember that it's their job to listen to you - they get paid for it, so take advantage of them. If you really don't want to, or you don't get on with the student counsellor, seek a less personal counsellor through the many online and telephone helplines.

But I just want to fit in

Fitting in to your new university is one of the most nerve-wracking parts of leaving home. Leaving partners behind is upsetting and often leads to painful break-ups, and just the thought of your old mates and your mum's home cooking can bring you out in a severe case of homesickness. But for every negative there's a positive, and as soon as you become more familiar with your surroundings and the people around you, the stress of making friends and fitting in should ease. Everyone is nervous about finding new friends, so take advantage of the situation and before long you'll be calling your university life 'home'.

from:http://www.thesite.org/workandstudy/studying/studentlife/studentstress

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erm... according to Masslow's hierarchy of needs

physiological, safety, love/ belongings, esteem, and self-actualization are the basic needs....

nowadays, students are face the stress because of the needs...

hmm...