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Melissa Paramo

Professor Apiaf

Health 44

February 16, 2017

Case Study

The scenario that is going on with Katya, the stress and anxiety she

feels in school is common amongst college students. Students always feel

that there is not much time with the amount of workload they are given.

Katya is one of those students who feel they must over achieve in everything

because that is what they are supposed to do. Although, she is diligent and

dedicated to her studies she lacks the ability of self-care. Katya is a great

student and does not know how to relax, which hurt her body with the

enormous stress she put on herself.

Katyas experience is similar to one of my own when I was commuting

this past semester during season at least an hour every day to and from

school every day. When I was at practice, I was worrying about going to work

on time, when I was at work I was uneasy about the amount of school work I

had, and in the classroom I worried about my athletic performance. I failed to

realize that by not taking the time to take a step back that it would affect my

overall performance in everything I was doing. I eventually lost my starting

position, very briefly, and had a mental breakdown. I felt so overwhelmed

that I called my sister and she told me the only way you can fx yourself is
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by having time for yourself. After that, I took a step back, dedicated a day

to myself, and reminded myself about the lesson of taking care of my body.

There are multiple ways to decrease test anxiety and other school

related pressures. For instance, the article Using Breathing Techniques to

Ease Test Anxiety offers a variety of breathing techniques that enable

students to increase their energy levels as they relax their minds and bodies

to decrease test anxiety (76). One approach to relieving body tension and

cutting down anxiety is the breathing listening technique/deep nostril

breathing and mouth exhalation technique. This routine has four steps,

which include, focusing on individual breathing, identifying where stress is

coming from, and taking a deep nostril breath while exhaling through the

mouth (76). This method, if repeated, can reduce tension in specifc areas.

In order for Katya to build her self-efficacy, she must believe that in

order for her to thrive in the classroom, she must develop skills outside the

classroom to impact her success in her studies. Katya should seek

professional help, especially after the panic attack she had before her

chemistry exam. Her roommates, professors, and those generally around her

should encourage her to do so because her anxiety is starting to affect her

livelihood and that could be dangerous. She needs to accept that she is not

perfect and that those who care for her accept her even with her

imperfections. From a health perspective, actions that I could personally take

to decrease anxiety are to seek help when I need it. Sometimes in life it is

good to be reminded that as human beings we will fail, through failure we

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can grow intellectually, and knowing that we have support helps in the long

run. Lastly, before school starts it is a good idea to come up with realistic

expectations of one. This could be done by creating short term goals that are

achievable, but at the same time the individual is able to push him or herself.

I believe every college student should learn how to cope with stress and

institutions should be able to offer these types of resources.

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Works Cited

Wilkinson, L., Buboltz Jr., W. C., & Seemann, E. (2001). Using Breathing Techniques to

Ease Test Anxiety. Guidance & Counseling, 16(3), 76.