Anxiety. Depression. Stress. These are words that may resonate with a majority of people.
For 17 million college students, stress is regarded as a constant struggle that negatively affects their daily lives. According to the American Institute of Stress, academic workload is the primary cause of college stress and mental health challenges. This challenge poses a barrier for 50.2% of college students and, over the years, has led to an increase in suicide rates across campuses country-wide (Tarsitano, 2019).
The reason for the prevalence of suicide rates may be explained by how the transition to college is regarded as one of the hardest and most critical development phases for the brain of a student. Some of the main stressors college students have are lifestyle changes, separation from loved ones, the psychological need to feel seen, a new craving for a sense of belonging, slowly accruing financial pressure and responsibilities, family expectations, peer pressure, fierce competition for grades—the list goes on, but students are left alone to face all of it (Kemp et al., 2022).
Through applied positive psychology, students can be equipped with self-support tools and accountability systems that can assist them in better managing their time and resources, ultimately reducing stressors that most often lead to more serious mental health challenges. Some schools have already addressed this issue through the implementation of mindfulness workshops and social clubs, but more tailored and practical interventions—such as wellbeing introductory courses and cognitive behavioral therapy awareness—are needed to collect more evidence-based results (Faria, 2016).
As we know it today, positive psychology examines human flourishing and applied approaches to optimal human functioning (Ackerman, 2022). Since the early 1990s, positive psychology has had many definitions and has been met with much skepticism—from being considered a strictly pathology-focused science to not being considered a science at all. As a result, American Psychological Association President Martin Seligman has battled to figuratively “steer away from the darkness and towards the light” (Gibbon, 2020). At its core, the principles of positive psychology—reliance on self-esteem, positive relations with others, and environmental mastery—are all principles that, if properly taught and mastered, can become a student’s secret weapon to overcome any mental block and decrease the likelihood of falling into spiraling states of anxiety and depression (Yurayat & Seechaliao, 2021).
Indeed, the goal is to help students achieve mental fortitude that not only positively impacts their academic experience but also their personal and professional development moving forward. Stressed students overwhelmed by responsibilities can emerge more confident, enthusiastic, and purpose-driven individuals through the help of positive psychology principles and wellbeing intervention modules (Kemp et al., 2022).
In essence, positive psychology is a useful and innovative tool that can empower students to become their very own practical psychologist. Thus, campuses have a social responsibility to support a student’s mental fitness, one brain at a time.
References
For 17 million college students, stress is regarded as a constant struggle that negatively affects their daily lives. According to the American Institute of Stress, academic workload is the primary cause of college stress and mental health challenges. This challenge poses a barrier for 50.2% of college students and, over the years, has led to an increase in suicide rates across campuses country-wide (Tarsitano, 2019).
The reason for the prevalence of suicide rates may be explained by how the transition to college is regarded as one of the hardest and most critical development phases for the brain of a student. Some of the main stressors college students have are lifestyle changes, separation from loved ones, the psychological need to feel seen, a new craving for a sense of belonging, slowly accruing financial pressure and responsibilities, family expectations, peer pressure, fierce competition for grades—the list goes on, but students are left alone to face all of it (Kemp et al., 2022).
Through applied positive psychology, students can be equipped with self-support tools and accountability systems that can assist them in better managing their time and resources, ultimately reducing stressors that most often lead to more serious mental health challenges. Some schools have already addressed this issue through the implementation of mindfulness workshops and social clubs, but more tailored and practical interventions—such as wellbeing introductory courses and cognitive behavioral therapy awareness—are needed to collect more evidence-based results (Faria, 2016).
As we know it today, positive psychology examines human flourishing and applied approaches to optimal human functioning (Ackerman, 2022). Since the early 1990s, positive psychology has had many definitions and has been met with much skepticism—from being considered a strictly pathology-focused science to not being considered a science at all. As a result, American Psychological Association President Martin Seligman has battled to figuratively “steer away from the darkness and towards the light” (Gibbon, 2020). At its core, the principles of positive psychology—reliance on self-esteem, positive relations with others, and environmental mastery—are all principles that, if properly taught and mastered, can become a student’s secret weapon to overcome any mental block and decrease the likelihood of falling into spiraling states of anxiety and depression (Yurayat & Seechaliao, 2021).
Indeed, the goal is to help students achieve mental fortitude that not only positively impacts their academic experience but also their personal and professional development moving forward. Stressed students overwhelmed by responsibilities can emerge more confident, enthusiastic, and purpose-driven individuals through the help of positive psychology principles and wellbeing intervention modules (Kemp et al., 2022).
In essence, positive psychology is a useful and innovative tool that can empower students to become their very own practical psychologist. Thus, campuses have a social responsibility to support a student’s mental fitness, one brain at a time.
References
- Ackerman, C. E. (2022). What Is Positive Psychology & Why Is It Important? PositivePsychology.com.
- Tarsitano, N. (2019). Stress: An epidemic among college students. The American Institute of Stress.
- Faria, N. (2016). Positive psychology and student success: How flow, mindfulness, and hope are related to happiness, relationships, and GPA. California State University Stanislaus, California. ISSN, 2655-1640.
- Gibbon, P. (2020). Martin seligman and the rise of positive psychology. Humanities, 41(3).
- Kemp, A. H., Mead, J., & Fisher, Z. (2022). Improving Student Wellbeing: Evidence From a Mixed Effects Design and Comparison to Normative Data. Teaching of Psychology.
- Yurayat, P., & Seechaliao, T. (2021). Effectiveness of Online Positive Psychology Intervention on Psychological Well-Being among Undergraduate Students. Journal of Education and Learning, 10(4), 143-155.
