Academic Wellbeing and Stress

What is Academic Wellbeing?

Academic Welbbeing
Academic Wellbeing

When we experience this dimension of wellbeing, we engage in creative and mentally-stimulating activities, and we truly enjoy learning. Students with a strong sense of academic wellbeing are able to see final exams, projects and presentations as challenging but exciting opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned!

Learning to manage your STRESS in a positive way is one route to enhancing your overall academic wellbeing, especially at the end of the semester!

What is stress and how does it impact wellbeing?

Stress is the result of how our bodies and minds react to things that threaten or challenge us. Stressors (sources of stress) can be positive or negative events. At the end of the semester, going in the holiday season, a lot of people experience higher levels of stress! How we react to increased levels of stress can play a big role in how we do on final exams, projects and papers, on the experience we have over the holidays, and on our overall feeling of wellbeing!

How does stress impact performance on final exams? The Yerkes-Dodson Law states that a moderate level of arousal (stress) improves performance. Too much arousal, or too little, causes performance to decrease. In terms of test performance, this means that “increased arousal can lead to better test performance by helping you stay alert, focused, and attentive. Excessive arousal can lead to test anxiety and leave you nervous and unable to concentrate on the test. When arousal levels are very high or very low, performance tends to be worse.” (https://www.verywellmind.com/the-arousal-theory-of-motivation-2795380)

How can I manage my stress effectively so that I can perform my best and increase my academic, and overall, wellbeing?

For more information on stress management strategies for college students:

Academic Wellbeing Resources at SCC

How to Beat Test Anxiety and Take on Exams Without Stress