Romantic relationships in College

College life is an amalgamation of jest, merriment, responsibility, cut-throat competition, and etcetera. It’s a major transition from the comfort at home to adjusting into small confined dorms. Overall, there is a transition from dependency on parents to self-sufficiency.

College is one place wherein one thrives into their best selves or drowns in devastation. According to Research, students go through a lot of stress throughout their college life. Stress experienced might be of any type and in any form. Every little thing happening in one’s life in college might disrupt the student’s mental peace.

Students not only have to deal with problems that are directly linked to being in the college environment, such as making tough choices about jobs and future pathways, maintaining high grades, establishing new relationships, exposure to risky habits such as binge drinking, drug activity, and casual sex, and learning how to balance social life and work, but students often have to deal with issues. The tension of college students derives from academia, social interactions, finances, everyday issues, and family relationships.

Stress might affect every individual in different ways and their coping mechanisms also may vary accordingly. One might find a situation stressful whereas someone else might be very comfortable tackling it.

Among all these stressors, a romantic relationship is one of the major causes of stress in college-going students. Liking someone is natural but making that relationship work is a Herculean task.

For instance, when a person goes on a first date since they have judged the event as a positive event with future potential, they will feel happiness, enthusiasm, or giddiness. Conversely, they can feel disappointment, emptiness, dejection, or disgust if the individual assesses the date as a negative experience. Events that are viewed as unwanted, particularly distressing because they are uncontrollable and unpredictable.

Because of the interdependent nature of the relationship and intense emotion associated with an intimate relationship, the effects of stress in a romantic relationship can be more troubling than stress in any other interpersonal relationship. Students experienced the most hurtful episodes while being involved in a romantic relationship.

A romantic partner is meant to be there in all our difficult situations, meant to help in a crisis and take care of each other. College or University is a place full of race and competition. More than an academic race, the race for wooing a good-looking or handsome partner is more prevalent.

Partner help was associated with lower levels of depression while partner pressure was associated with high levels of depression. Both men and women indicated that tense relationships with their partners were similarly affected.

Researchers concluded that partner support likely strengthens an existing entity and feelings of self-worth while partner strain likely threatens a valued identity and feelings of self-worth.

Support from partners in an ongoing relationship has been linked with fewer substance abuse problems. However, gender disparities were found with drug abuse and relationship quality as opposed to depression and relationship quality. In an ongoing relationship, men who encountered interpersonal stress in a romantic relationship were found to be more likely to have issues with substance abuse than women reporting interpersonal stress.

An end to a romantic relationship can result in life-endangering consequences such as substance abuse like consumption of alcohol, doing drugs, smoking, indulging in illegal activities. Students can go to any further reach to distract themselves from the pain of not having their partner together. They can’t get rid of those memories and moments spent together.

Self-doubt is one of the scariest things that happen after a break-up, wherein the grieving partner starts introspecting themselves as to how they went wrong and where they lagged in saving their relationship. Some might go to the extent of ending their life as they don’t see a point in living any further. Depression, loss of focus, anxiety, self-doubt, further trust issues with other people are some of the many symptoms that one experiences after a break-up.

Break-ups are the most common phenomenon one experiences in college. One might’ve experienced it personally or vicariously through a friend. While administering such situations, one must be really patient enough to listen to their loved one’s vent. Venting helps in releasing stress and makes one feel relieved.

A friend closest to that person should never leave his/her back and try and get them out of their sad thoughts as early as possible. One must always visit a counselor in order to get a positive outlook regarding their pain. Every human being reacts to a heartbreak differently, some might rebelliously work on their goals and prove their worth whereas some might drown into self-harm and destroy their life.

One obviously needs love and belonging, but we should be aware of its pros and cons; in this cruel world, there are hardly any left who love people unconditionally.

To conclude