We encounter stress countless of times in our day to day living.

Stress can be

identified if a person is overwhelmed by a certain situation causing him to lack sense of

control especially over his emotions. According to Kobina-Donkoh, Yelkpieri & Kweko-

Donkoh (2010), stress is a part of life and has many causes to it and that the degree of stress

in our lives is greatly dependent on factors, such as the physical health of the individual, the

quality of our interpersonal relationships, the number of commitments and responsibilities we

shoulder, the degree of others’ dependence on and expectations of us, the amount of support

we receive from others and the number of changes of traumatic events we go through in our

lives. This means that life itself is stress related depending on the individual’s lifestyle and the

level of cultural development. Regular students enter a new and upgraded stage every time

they complete a year level. This means that the amount of stress that they face may worsen

as they ascend to higher years of education. Amponsah et. Al (2020) states that learners are

exposed to diverse types of stressors, such as academic burden, financial constraints and a

host of difficulties as well as future uncertainties and having opportunities for social mobility in

the system. These stressors may affect them specifically in their academic performance,

which is important in achieving academic success. A study by Hayble (2002) opines that

among students, stress results from the challenge of adjusting to transactions in change. For

instance, resumption and vacation from school and returning to school or staying home after

breaks may cause stress as students adapt to changes in routine. The fact remains that

tertiary education students need to adjust to the demands of living more independent without

the assistance of parents or families in managing their time. Meanwhile, hearing the word

“stress” may seem negative in general. However, it may also bring positive effects if managed

properly. Researchers have shown that learning and memory can be adversely affected by

stress, although an optimal level of stress can enhance the learning ability (Kalpan & Sadock,
2015). That is why coping mechanisms are important so that students may be able to

maximize and benefit from their own stresses.

Citations

Esia-Donkoh, K. K., & Yelkpieri, D. (2010, November 30). Coping with Stress: Strategies

Adopted by Students at the Winneba Campus of University of Education, Winneba,

Ghana. Online Submission. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED528318.

Kwaku Darko Amponsah, Grace Sintim Adasi, Salifu Maigari Mohammed, Ernest Ampadu &

Abraham Kwadwo Okrah | Peter Wan (Reviewing editor) (2020) Stressors and coping

strategies: The case of teacher education students at University of Ghana, Cogent

Education, 7:1

Hayble, T. S. M. (2002). The school administrator’s role in promoting teachers effectiveness in

the implementation of the Universal Basic Education Scheme. In T. Ajayi, J.O. Fadipe,

P.K Ojedele and E.E Oluchukwu (Eds.), Planning and Administration of UBE in Nigeria

(pp. 260 – 267). NIEPA Ondo.

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock's synopsis of

psychiatry: behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry. Wolters Kluwer.