Hello to college commuters! You’re probably here to learn about all the ways you can control the little things in life so that you can manage your stress better. I’m a junior in college who happens to be a commuter, so I’ve had some time to figure out commuting tips to help you learn about organizing a stress-free college life. This will be a guide from the very start of what is stress all the way to the focus of how time management plays a huge role in being stressed as a college commuter follow me on this journey as a college commuter!

What is Stress?

Many people wonder what stress is with many of them going with a definition of their own not knowing what stress is truly. According to the World Health Organization, stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. The World Health Organization also claims that “Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives.” This is the perfect way to describe it since many college students face stress, but especially college commuters who face stress in different situations. That will told in detail as we go down the line.

College (Commuter) Students are Stressed!

Commuting college students often experience stress, a sentiment shared by many in their situation. This alignment of stress among commuters is quite understandable. One of the typical stressors that can be anticipated is the pressure of studying for exam, competing for admissions or internships, and trying to master large amounts of content in small amounts of time. Sudden changes, unexpected challenges, or traumatic events can be unpredictable sources of stress. As a college student myself, I believe exams are one of the most stressful things in college because they are time-consuming and count for a large portion of grades. Grades can make or break you in college! That being said, college commuters have their own unique problems that many people can relate to which may align with the reason they are not able to live on campus. Sarah Wood from US News wrote “Whether due to financial reasons, health concerns, family obligations or job responsibilities, students who live a few minutes or even a couple of hours away from their college may consider commuting rather than living in on-campus housing or renting a place nearby.” These are problems that commuters face which may limit them from the many opportunities that students who live on campus have. On-campus students have the advantage of benefits and workshops that might not fit into commuters' schedules. In Research done by Sam Houston State University, the study claims that commuter students are usually older people who work more than 21 hours, which suggest that their stress levels are moderately higher than residential students.

I conducted an interview with a college commuter, Ankit Patel who said, “Time management is actually the biggest stress factor in my college life since I have to maintain a certain schedule to get tasks done.” As a college student at North Central College, I also deal with time management issues. Time management plays an important role for every college commuter student, but also affects residential college students as well. I will take a dip into examples of first year college commuters’ problems that cause them stress and the University of Minnesota challenges:

• Learning new study skills to accommodate a more intensive course load

• Experiencing the culture shock of a new environment

• Making new friends

• Exploring campus

• Finding ways to become involved and connected to the campus community

• Managing time

• Handling college finances

This blog post will focus on the lack of time management as the main cause of stress from commuters but also just ways to lessen stress in general for college (commuter) students.

The Role of Time Management

Time management can be many things from when you are arriving to your lecture, to what mode of transportation you will be arriving in to make that lecture or arrive at college. There are little details that become problems in the bigger picture of time management and how it causes many commuter students to stress out more than anything else since it consumes every part of your life. The problems as U.S news reports is transportation to seeing what the traffic will be like before heading out, to where to park around or in the university. I interviewed Mary Johnson, a therapist at North Central College, who said “Many college commuters come to me saying they feel like there is not enough time.” This is a very common problem in college commuters. Managing their time can be difficult just because every day is an unknown filled with problems and the need to find solutions for these problems. Even if you get the hang of managing your time it will always be difficult. In my own experience, I’ve learned to manage time but sometimes it’s still out of my control. Patel also says, “Balancing my college life requires constant juggling and strategic planning. Every moment counts as I go through assignments to reach the goal every college student wants.”

Side Effects of Stress

Stress has many different types of side effects that cause harm both physically and mentally to everyday college commuters. Mary Johnson also says, “Many causes of stress can bring in many other different problems to college students from being fatigued and many other mental problems start showing up like anxiety since commuters students get fear of missing out (FOMO) which is why it is important to look for solution to deter college students' stress.” The side effects of stress also make everything worse, from missing assignments to waking up late, which can lead to college students being unproductive. College is a place where you have to be engaged, or you will fall behind. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say It can:

• Interfere with studying or class attendance

• Interfere with cognitive processes such as attention and concentration

• Contribute to major health issues such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and anxiety

The side effects I personally experience from stress is becoming anxious because I feel like everything I do has to be planned. If it is not done in order, I feel like I will forget something important that will affect my life at college. I feel like stress will destroy your body if solutions are not found for the stress college commuters are facing like me. Sometimes they have to put their own mental health behind them because they believe they do not have the time. An article from Los Angeles Times writes “Naturally disadvantaged academically by their commute, they don’t have enough time in their days to sleep, study or get together with their study groups,” Dana Cuff, a professor of architecture and urban design at UCLA, said at a recent UC Regents meeting. North Central College student success coach, Gill also said something similar about college commuters, “Fatigue is a real challenge for college commuters. Be mindful of managing your energy levels to stay focused and maximize your success.” Gills also claims that many students from different colleges come with this complaint of having fatigue and how they want to focus on that when making their class schedule. The side effects of stress are important to note. People feeling this way must first address the situations causing their stress. The goal is for readers to understand college commuters' stress and stress in general among college students. It's crucial to recognize stress and its effects, but the main aim is to find general relief from stress and strategies for control.