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Stress Manifesting

Thriving and surviving on campus can be difficult between the psychological and physical stress of balancing class, work, and home. 

Meet Mira; she is in the third year of her undergraduate program and has needed a break. Mira took the summer off to work full time since her FAFSA doesn't cover all of her tuition, and she has to cut her hours during the fall and spring semester. Once classes started back up, she felt like she was on top of everything: she had money saved up for the tuition she needed and was on top of her schoolwork.

Like many students she started to experience neck and back pain from her long study sessions and lifestyle changes. She went from a more physically intense job to sitting in class and being less active for hours on end.

Many students have problems similar to Mira. The Physical and psychological stress of college can lead to headaches, back pain, and neck pain. There have been many studies that look into the correlation between Musculoskeletal discomfort and psychological distress.

Studies in Stress

What that means is that universities such as King Abdulaziz University (KAU) have looked into how neck or back pain is linked to psychological stress, anxiety, depression, etc. In 2003, KAU conducted a study of its students looking at the correlation of neck pain and distress that undergraduate students face. 

What they found after surveying over 500 students was that “50.7 % of students suffered from neck pain” (Alghamdi, 2023).

The biggest factors that contributed to increases in neck/ back pain included:

• Being a woman 
• Little exercise
• Excessive coffee/caffeine consumption
• Higher levels of anxiety
• Higher levels of depression

When looking at Mira, she identifies with several of these categories; like many students, she has a crippling coffee addiction that she swears by as her life force. She is also more likely to experience neck and back pain, and she had to change her lifestyle because her schedule has changed. At times, she doesn't have time for the gym or even a walk. She definitely has more anxiety with her class and workload. These factors can lead to more neck and back pain, not to mention the unique combinations each student experiences.

Finding Help on Campus

Mira wanted help finding on-campus resources that could help her work through some of this tension, since she can’t afford to drop everything and pay for a massage. 

One major resource she found was the Stress Relief Center in the Swenson Building here at Weber State, room 124. The Stress Relief Center offers several tools to ease students' stress and help them relax. Some of the tools they offer include: 

• Massage chairs
• Foot and calf massage
• Rejuvenation lounge
• Essential oils
• Herbal teas

Their website also includes a link to Relaxation Tips that lists different tips for stress prevention in everyday life.

The Stress Relief Center is a great on-campus resource that can help students relieve or manage stress. Hours of operation depend on the semester, so check its website for the most current details.

More From the Coaches

The Stress Relief Center can help students like Mira combat the common neck and back pain so many students experience. Staying informed and small changes in behavior can help her and many other students thrive during the semester and be their best selves.

The (College Opportunities and Cultivating Habits), which is free to listen to, has many episodes about campus resources to help students survive. discusses how your physical and mental health can affect each other, and covers overall student wellness, to name a few. 

Remember, “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” - William James.