Managing Life Pressures as a College Freshman

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of life pressures. Specifically, it will discuss three current pressures in my life and how these pressures affect me. There will always be pressures in life, and how we deal with them tells a lot about our makeup and our personality. I currently have three stressors in my life that are difficult to manage, and I want to learn how to handle them more effectively so I can be more successful in my life, my career, and my overall well-being.

Academic Pressure in the First Year of College

The first pressure I am currently feeling is academic pressure. As a freshman, I am finding that college is quite different from high school. For one thing, the coursework is more difficult, and there is significantly more work overall. I am having trouble balancing my time between work, recreation, and school. Essentially, I do not have much time for leisure, and I often feel tired and burned out. Sometimes I do not want to study, and I worry: if I am feeling this way now, how will I make it to my senior year? I know that my academic performance can affect my entire life and career, and so I consider this an important stressor to work through.

Financial Stress and Money Management

Another pressure in my life lately is financial stress. I am attending school full-time and working part-time. My parents cover some of my tuition and books, but they cannot afford all of it, so I have to work to make up the difference. This is really the first time in my life that I have had to worry seriously about money. I worked during high school and always had enough for the things I wanted — music, clothes, and gas for my car. Now, I often run short, and that is frightening.

I do not like not having enough money, and this pressure has made it very clear to me that I want a well-paying career that will ensure my college-era money troubles do not follow me throughout life. I would like to work more hours, but that is impossible given my current course load, so I will need to become more organized in my study habits before I can add more work hours. I am hoping that balance will come with more college experience. In the meantime, this financial stress has affected me in many ways: I am afraid to spend money, I worry about rising gas prices and other costs beyond my control. I drive as little as possible, try to eat cheaply, and yet it seems that worry about money and school has largely taken over my life.

Conclusion

I do not want to disappoint my parents, and I feel a constant pressure to always do my best and to be the best. Sometimes I worry that I may not be able to live up to their expectations, and that concern weighs on me. I have not yet spoken to them about this pressure, even though I know I should. According to research on parental academic pressure and student stress, open communication between students and parents can meaningfully reduce this type of anxiety. It simply seems too hard to address right now. I do not want them to know how stressed I am, or that their expectations are adding to my burden. I hope I can learn to manage these pressures so that my life becomes less stressful overall.

The pressures in my life have certainly affected me and my daily experience. I believe that these pressures cause me to worry, and that worry adds further stress to my life. I would like to learn how to handle pressures more effectively so that I worry less and my life feels less overwhelming. I have already checked out some stress management books from the library, and I hope to put some of their suggestions into practice in order to reduce the pressures and stress I am currently facing.