A College measure of stress

 Stress on human beings can take on many guises. Dealing with relationships, dealing with work, juggling finances or achieving academic success at college can all lead to symptoms and illnesses induced by stress.  Because stress is so pervasive in our daily lives and so personal to the individual involved, it is often hard to be exact about where the stress is coming from and how it will affect the individual.

People visit counsellers or psychologists to gain an accurate diagnosis of their stress levels and the affects that the stress is having on their health. Many stress counsellers have developed a way to measure stress. The stress measure is not really a scientific approach but more a questionaire about how the patient is feeling. It is aimed to give the counseller and the patient a 'feel' for the stress level the individual is experiencing.

Typical questionaires will ask questions about the physical state of the individual. So it will ask things like

do you feel tired all the time
     do you get colds and flu often
     do you suffer from diarrhea or constipation
     do you suffer from odd aches and pains from time to time

Other questions will deal with the patients state of mind. So questions like

do you feel angry or irritable often
     do you find it hard to concentrate
     do you feel guilty all the time
     do you feel paranoid

More questions deal with the current lifestyle of the individual, such as

do you find it hard to sleep or can't sleep for long periods
     do you take much caffeine or alcohol
     do you have repeat actions obsessively, like washing hands
     has your sex drive diminished

All these signs are simply symptoms of stress. After it is established what kind of symptoms are being experienced it becomes easier to pinpoint why these symptoms might be ocurring. The counseller and patient can talk about the symptoms and come up with causes and possible strategies to overcome the stress.

A college stress measure would include the questions above but  would also focus on issues exclusive to college students. These would include issues related to study habits, college and campus affairs and possibly financial stresses affecting the student. By talking about issues of this nature, a counseller and student could develop a strategy to defuse the stressful situations.    

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