Positive Influence of Stress Management Programs on Students (Essay Sample)

Positive Influence of Stress Management Programs on Students' Lives
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Positive Influence of Stress Management Programs on Students' Lives
Stress can be described as a mental condition or emotional strain or tension emanating from very demanding circumstances that one might perceive to be beyond their capability. Anything or anybody that can pose a challenge to our well-being is also deemed as stress. It should however be noted that, some stresses are healthy and good for our very own lives without which we could be unable to accomplish some tasks allocated to us (Hendrie, Clair, Brittain & Fadul, 1990). Stress largely causes students to give up on so many dreams and hopes. Too much workload, tight deadlines and search for better grades all contribute to stress in a student. Stress is often caused by agents or stimuli in our environments that are commonly referred to us stressors. However, the solution to this is found on stress management programs that teach students the basic skills on how to avoid or deal with stress. This paper will explore how is stress management programs positively influence student's lives, socially, emotionally and academically.
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another (Cohen and Pattern, 2005). Stress management programs help students to manage their work effectively without having to panic about timelines. They are able to do one thing at a time based on the urgency and the level of involvement required. This means that students are able to tackle all their work without having to struggle about time and still do a quality job, thanks to such programs.
The programs also contribute to improved relationships. Such relationships could be between students and their lecturers, spouses, friends and family. Whenever students are under stress, the effects of the same such as anger and frustration are extended to all these people, and the result is strained relationships. Students need these people in one way or the other as they pursue their studies. The programs help them to positively cope with the pressure of studies, hence improved relationships (Cohen & Pattern, 2005).
It is often said that to keep ourselves in good health is a duty; otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. According to the institute of HEARTMATH, stress causes people to have health issues such as high blood pressure, cardiac arrest and muscle tension among others. This translates to reduced productivity, both at school and life in general. This affects their studies by being absent from school since they are forced to always seek medical attention or else they remain physically present in school but absent psychologically. More so, it causes them financial constraints due to the medical bills. Stress management classes teach students how to balance between their school work and general life duties such as parenting. Consequently, this balance translates to healthy living.
Stress management programs also help the students to have improved intuition, memory and cognitive function (Hendrie, Clair, Brittain & Fadul, 1990). To any student, these three aspects define either success or failure they realize in their school life and consequently the decisions they arrive at after school. In any exam, a student's memory and cognitive function is the bridge between passing and failing. Often, stress causes these three aspects to diminish, thereby contributing to student's failure. Therefore, for academic excellence to be achieved there is need to minimize or eliminate stress amongst students at whatever cost.
According to the Statistics Canada (2002) stress management also increases productivity in a student. Stress management enables people to focus clearly on tasks they ought to accomplish hence more positive results. Students often find themselves between a rock and a hard place trying to finish their assignments with a good touch of "marks-attracting" feel. This means that the program enables students to achieve that academic excellence they so wish for in all disciplines. Students who undertake the program are in a better position to have control over their emotions and how they respond to it. Hampel, Meier and Kummel (2008) say that humans who let emotions take over them are a ticking time bomb waiting to self-destruction. All over the world, cases of students committing suicide, killing their fellow students and teachers are on the rise. In most cases, such students do these crazy things under the influence of stress. They are not able to handle the pressure that comes their way at school and outside, and they find themselves battling to maintain their cool whenever confronted. For example, if a teacher punishes such a student, he/she is not a...