Here, in these stress relief centres, they should be able to come and relax, attend counseling and therapy sessions.
KARACHI: Stress is not as trivial a matter as it may seem. Every other person is a victim of this evil. The fast-paced life we live in, and the pressures to cope with it create all of the fuss. From old men to youngsters, everyone feels stressed out.
Think about students who are met with the intense pressure of obtaining high grades in connection with career aspirations, taking final exams and maintaining a social life. Does anyone ever say: “It’s all right. We know university/college life is hard and has its ups and downs, but you just have to do your best”.
Considering all these pressures, how can a student’s life not be stressful?
Some people may argue that students are in many ways advantaged as they face very limited pressures. Point taken, but that shouldn’t diminish the stress experienced by students.
In fact, the reality is that the youth of today go through a lot of stress on a regular basis. Balancing school life with family life is not easy. There comes a time when students have to tackle assignments, exams and projects all at once. Especially university students have a lot to worry about and at certain times, they feel lifeless because in a competitive environment you need to be efficient — and not everyone is able to manage those efficiency levels.
At certain times, students are required to do what they are not familiar with and find it difficult. This is the time when students feel hopeless and would want to give up. If you think adolescent years are spent in frivolity and fun, think again. Students may not express this at times but they are dealing with stress every minute of the day. This may gradually affect their self-esteem and focus.
There is a dire need for stress management, especially in Pakistan, where we see everyone affected by stress. Can anything be done? We all may have seen people become alcoholics or even drug addicts due to stress. In some extreme cases, people may commit suicide. More than often, students indulge in these harmful activities.
After conducting research on this subject at SZABIST, we have found that 80 per cent of the students feel stressed but are clueless as to what to do about it. And there is no real help available to them.
What we propose is that there is a dire need to have a stress relief centres. Some may argue that we have stress relief centres in Pakistan. But do they specifically cater to youngsters who actually need treatment? Here, in these stress relief centres, they should be able to come and relax, attend counseling and therapy sessions from professional psychiatrists to lower their stress and anxiety levels and engage in fun activities. This is a shout out to every rehabilitation centre in this country. They need to consider this because youth is a large chunk of the audience they miss to target.
Aisha Shams & Javeria Nasir
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2014.
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