For many students, college can be an immensely stressful time. With academic course loads to manage, applications for jobs and internships, and the pressure to balance those responsibilities with a social life — all in a new environment — it can be a lot to navigate.
“Students have a lot on their plate,” says Nicole Ruzek, chief mental health officer at the University of Virginia. “Some of them are making a transition to the university for the first time, so they’re dealing with a lot of different changes in terms of their social networks and access to resources and support.”
Many universities have established systems that specifically help students recognize and manage stress from the moment they step onto campus. By offering day-to-day stress-reduction tactics, wellness coaching and workshops, and clinical intervention, when necessary schools work to ensure that students have the tools they need to navigate academic and social pressures.
Spreading the Word
Stress isn’t always a bad thing. “If managed well, the stress that accompanies academic pursuits or exams can be helpful,” says Chris Renjilian, associate vice president for health and wellness at William & Mary. “It can facilitate heightened effort, attention, focus, and awareness. And when it does that, it can enable students to gain mastery of concepts that have been studied through the semester.”
But, when not managed well, stress can lead to problems physically, mentally, and academically, Renjilian says. It can cause loss of sleep, excessive worry or anxiety, over- or undereating, and can have negative impacts on a student’s social life and academics.
“If students aren’t taking care of their own physical or mental health, that makes it really hard for them to focus and to really be as present and motivated and effective as they can be in the classroom or in the social sphere as well,” Ruzek says.
At both William & Mary and UVA, Renjilian and Ruzek say that communication about mental health and integrative wellness starts at orientation to let students know about the resources available to help them stay mentally and physically healthy. The schools continue to promote those resources throughout the year. And they often ramp up outreach at times of particular stress, such as exam periods or when world events could be impacting students.
Healthy Habits
Renjilian and Ruzek both point to healthy habits like exercise, meditation, and socialization as the basis of stress management. Some resources are as simple as fitness and recreation centers, where students can work out or join intramural sports. Others can be more targeted stress-reduction programs that make clear the connections between physical and mental health, like guided yoga or massage therapy sessions at William & Mary.
“We’re really focused on … the value of pursuing academic achievement or intellectual development, but in conjunction with other values,” says Renjilian. “Some of the best ways to foster the other values that students have — whether that’s social connection, caring for others, belonging, health and fitness — the programs that we offer through campus recreation are avenues to do that.”
Ruzek also points to physical spaces that are specifically designed for mental wellness. At UVA, that includes a biophilic area that imitates nature to provide a quiet meditation space, plus an art therapy room and a teaching kitchen. The school’s wellness office also offers guided nature walks and sound-bathing sessions.
UVA also has weekly sessions with therapy dogs. The initiative started in 2022 following a shooting at UVA that left three students dead and another two injured. Many students needed emotional support, Ruzek says, and the program was such a success that they kept offering it.
The dogs “help [students] to feel more connected and at ease,” Ruzek says. “For a lot of students, it can be hard to come in and talk to someone about what’s going on. The dogs are a good way to get them in the door, and then they might see that student health or the counseling center isn’t such a scary place and be more willing to reach out for help.”
Coaching and Mentorship
For students who need help managing their coursework or handling feelings of stress, many schools also offer coaching and mentorship programs.
At William & Mary, the student success program offers academic support like free-of-charge tutoring services. There’s also “success coaching,” which pairs undergraduate students with graduate students to work on skills like time management, study strategies, and creating a healthy balance between school, personal life, and work.
At UVA, a resource called WahooWell provides non-clinical wellness coaching sessions. They can talk about “stress, procrastination, substance use concerns, sleep — anything that might be interfering with their functioning,” Ruzek says.
“If the student needs more help beyond coaching, the coaches can always refer them up to the counseling center or to medical services. But a lot of times, students really just need a supportive person who can really just talk through some of those lower-level concerns before they turn into bigger mental health issues,” Ruzek says.
Counseling and Intervention
These departments can also help students if stress develops into a more significant concern. Counseling and psychological services at universities provide direct mental health care like group therapy, individual counseling, psychiatric services, or referrals to outside medical professionals.
Many colleges — including UVA, William & Mary, George Mason University, Virginia Tech, and James Madison University — also offer online, on-demand counseling through TimelyCare.
Ruzek says that some signs of stress call for more serious intervention. These include a student having significant trouble carrying out day-to-day tasks, struggling to concentrate, or not connecting socially. Teachers, coaches, or fellow students may also express concern if a student seems to be struggling.
“If a student is not sure if stress is interfering with life — whether it’s disrupting sleep or causing excessive anxiety that’s leading to panic in academic settings — if they’re unsure and think it may be beneficial to talk that through with someone else and learn more, we welcome that choice and create opportunities for them to do it,” Renjilian says.
Feature image courtesy Daiyan P/peopleimages.com/stock.adobe.com
This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
