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As finals approach, stress levels for students can begin to rise significantly. Students may experience stress at different times and for different reasons throughout the year, as they balance coursework, social lives, jobs听and other responsibilities.

Being able to recognize significant changes in behavior or appearance is the first step to supporting students who may be experiencing high levels of stress.

Recognizing signs of stress in students

When stress reaches a level where students aren鈥檛 able to meet obligations, they can become irritable, appear overly tired and fail to meet deadlines. Other signs can include:

• Changes in academic performance or class attendance
• Changes to hygiene and overall appearance
• Unusual or exaggerated emotional responses
• Depressed or lethargic mood
• Social withdrawal
• Falling asleep in class
• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns

How you can help

Students may become overwhelmed by stress for weeks, and this can create a barrier when it comes to talking about their stress, especially if they are afraid of failing a class. Reminding students that there are people they can talk to鈥攁 faculty or staff member, or someone in Counseling and Psychiatric Services鈥攃an be helpful.听

Encourage students to use office hours and ask questions or seek support before stress becomes unmanageable. Staff with student-employees could consider allowing student-employees to adjust their work schedule leading up to finals so they can attend office hours or get in an extra study session.

If there鈥檚 a noticeable concern for a student, inquiring or sending a message that there are solutions can help a student feel supported and that they have an ally in managing their stress.

Support resources

Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS)听offers individual counseling and a variety of free workshops and groups for students around stress management. CAPS also offers consultation services for staff and faculty who would like advice on how to best support a student.

All campus community members can also use SilverCloud Health to build stress management skills. SilverCloud is an online tool that provides personalized programs to help build skills around stress management, anxiety and听depression.

When stress becomes too much to manage, students might begin to show signs of crisis. Signs of crisis include aggression, written or verbal threats to themselves or others, suicidal comments, extreme anxiety resulting in panic attacks听and/or an inability to communicate.听If a student is exhibiting signs of crisis, faculty and staff should contact听Student Support and Case Management (SSCM).

If a student鈥檚 stress is trauma-related or based on a traumatic event, faculty and staff can refer the student to the听Office of Victim Assistance听for support.