Stress and spirituality

College students are stressed.

According to a 25-year longitudinal survey conducted by The American Freshman: National Norms study, the percentage of students who reported above average mental health has fallen from 64 percent to 52 percent since 1985.

Although this decrease might seem miniscule, we must consider the progression made during these last 25 years that intended to make life easier for college students, as well as the whole of society.

With an abundance of technology at our fingertips, there are a growing number of scholarship programs to increase educational opportunities and strong social network platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn to foster convenient communication.

These are all capable of making daily tasks or long-term life goals slightly easier to accomplish.

Each of these advances, however, also possesses potentially detrimental consequences. Our vast array of technological property can lead to information overload, a stressful assault on our already hectic schedules. Scholarship programs are competitive and certain eligibility requirements must be met.

What can a student do when he or she lacks necessary funds and cannot secure a suitable scholarship when college tuition rates are on the rise? And don’t even get me started on social networking.

Countless studies have uncovered an association linking alienation and depression in young individuals to the overuse of these online tools.

College strain might amount to more than just these tangible stressors, though. It can be traced to spirituality.

I’m not referring solely to religion, but rather to a higher sense of purpose and awareness of intention in life.

A lesson should be learned from Yann Martel’s “The Life of Pi,” a novel that masterfully describes a young boy’s 227-day struggle for survival while stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. Obviously, Pi’s situation is a little — OK, a lot — more stressful than the typical IU student’s life, but what I want to emphasize is Pi’s amazing spiritual awareness that keeps him calm throughout his trial.

Pi, although young, is sure of one thing: his values and beliefs. He maintains strong faith through practicing religion, but most of all, he is constantly aware of what is happening around him and how his environment personally impacts his life.

Even though his survival is not guaranteed, his chance of survival unknown, Pi’s mindfulness and spirituality leads him to salvation.

We, college students, are young. We have a huge portion of life yet to experience. The unknown is terrifying to many.

Since we cannot possibly know or reliably predict the occurrences of our futures, we must rely on simply knowing ourselves. We must be familiar with our emotions, our desires and our values to make the most of our actions and feel prepared to overcome whatever life may throw our way.

Unfortunately, in today’s rushed culture, where homework deadlines are looming, job searches are continuous and getting the most done in the least amount of time is idealized, it is increasingly difficult to make time for ourselves.

Perhaps author Rasheed Ogunlaru put it best when he stated, “Peace of mind arrives the moment you come to peace with the contents of your mind.”

I urge you all to make a little time in your busy schedules and ask yourself this question: Who am I?

Really dig deep into the contents of your mind. After you come up with a good answer, you may just feel a little less stressed.

­— kfasone@indiana.edu