Under Pressure: How Universities Can Best Prepare Students for What Comes Next

According to the Student Mental Health Study, 37% of first-year university students show moderate-to-severe anxiety or depression. This is nearly double the national rate for the public at large.

What’s more, there isn’t a single factor driving this change; it’s a very complex picture.

First-year university students are faced with a significant change in their approach to learning, which is much more self-directed than at school. Many are leaving home for the first time and may not know a single person when they arrive on campus.

The pressure doesn’t simply disappear for returning students either. Second-year students, many of whom move out of halls and into private houses, have to navigate running a home, paying bills, and managing relationships with their housemates. For final-year students, mentally preparing for the results of years of work, graduation, and entering the job market, can bring even more anxiety.

In short, every year brings new pressures.

As the countdown to a new academic year begins, now is the right time for universities to prepare for how they can best help students’ transition to what comes next. Educators and pastoral staff have a key role to play and can add real value by helping students to build their mental resilience. With the right tools, staff can help students cope with the pressures that inevitably arise when faced with uncertainty.

That uncertainty causes stress and anxiety, which can be characterised by being in a ‘red head’ state. Moving from that into a ‘blue head’ state means becoming calm, clear, focused, and better ready to face whatever might be round that famous corner.

The importance of preparing students from start to finish

People of all ages have moments when pressure will make them feel anxious, causing distraction and loss of attention. This is of course entirely normal, and part of what drives us to get better. In fact, no one really gets better without being put under pressure.

Dealing with pressure is a skill, and it’s one that can be learned and practised. This is where the identification of red and blue heads becomes so important.

A few simple techniques can help students break some of the pressure traps. Having a clear understanding of what happens when they are in a red head or blue head really helps.

Recognise, prepare, and reflect         

Rather than trying to categorise every stage of stress, it is more useful to teach students a single core skill: learning to recognise and accept where their mindset is, rather than avoiding or denying that they’re feeling anxious or worried.

Anxiety and worry under pressure are normal, but the answer isn’t to ignore them, it is to acknowledge them, then reset in that moment. This is critical for anyone operating under pressure;  a sportsperson doesn’t deny their nerves or over-react to them – they acknowledge what’s happening and reset, giving them the ability to respond when it really matters

That in-the-moment capability doesn’t appear from nowhere; it’s built through preparation. Taking the time to consider “what ifs” (“Will I understand what the lecturer is talking about?”, “Have I revised the correct subject matter?” or even “Will I make friends?”) and working out strategies to stay focused when they arise, is one of the most effective ways to strengthen a student’s ability to cope when the pressure hits.

The other half of the skill is reflection. Taking time afterwards to review how a moment of pressure was handled – rather than rushing past it – helps students avoid catastrophising every moment of anxiety or stress and keeps things in perspective. Too often, we don’t pause to reflect and review how we did, which is exactly what stops us from improving.

We’re often told, and we tell others, to “not worry about the result, just do your best” – focus on the process and the outcome will follow. It’s a cliché because it’s true: once you’re in the moment, the result is completely out of your control, but that doesn’t stop it living in your head.

Caring about the outcome is exactly what gives the effort meaning in the first place. The answer isn’t to deny how much it matters, but to find a way to stop that worry taking over.

One simple way in is to ask two questions: how do you want to feel at the end of it, and what don’t you want to feel? These questions put attention back onto what you need to do to get there. The outcome still matters, but doing well was never about watching the scoreboard. Instead, it comes from focusing on the actions needed to get there.

This balance is found by learning to shift attention between the desired outcome, and the process of getting there.

None of this is a magic bullet that suddenly makes a student resilient. Instead, it is a structured method that, when practised repeatedly, becomes second nature. Leaning into pressure – rather than avoiding it – is what helps us cope and ultimately thrive, but only if we realise can own our mindset and commit to improving each time.

If students have a method that works for those moments that’s easy and practical, done in their own way and universally applicable, it makes a big difference. It’s never about becoming perfect, it’s about recognising that mindset shapes how we feel and cope under pressure, and that everyone can improve.

Acknowledge a ‘red head’ moment

We all know what we should focus on, but it’s hard not to be consumed by the things that are out of our control.

We worry about which questions will come up, how we will react to unexpected situations, and what the result might be after countless hours of studying and revision. Once we start thinking like this we all-too-often become anxious and allow tasks to overwhelm us. Being able to rationally refocus is vital in these circumstances, and to make that possible we must go through a process. The good news is that process is well understood, can be learned, and can be practised until it becomes second nature.

Once a student accepts ‘having a red head moment’ as normal, it’s much easier to let it go and to refocus. There are a few strategies that can help university staff to deal with that when it happens.

First, acknowledge that it’s happening. Recognising when a student’s attention isn’t where it should be is the first step towards refocusing on something more useful.

Students and educators alike can practise recognising this quite easily. We need to accept that where we place our attention is within our control, then make sure that we direct our attention on the task at hand. It might not always feel comfortable, but it will always help.

Being a ‘blue headed’ supporter

What most people want when they are in a red head state is empathy and understanding. Explaining that it’s quite normal to feel that way and, in fact, expected, usually reduces anxiety.

It’s a simple message – try to be there to listen and help – and connect with their feelings. Recognise their worries and help work out a process to manage them in the most practical ways. Don’t rush to pull them out of distress or to ‘quick fix’ solutions.

Pushing away feelings can make things worse, and an academic or pastoral staff member’s own anxieties can sometimes spill over. Instead, slow down, then help to guide them with the right tools once they feel understood.

Complete your ‘Screw Up Cascade’

Another way to help students normalise pressure and come up with practical long-term strategies is to complete a ‘Screw Up Cascade’ or ‘SUC’ list.

Encourage the student to make a list of all the ways that they could really mess up (alternatively, ask them how you could be the worst in the world at helping them prepare for exams!) It’s usually a very easy list to compile and can even be quite amusing.

The reality kicks in when we pick our favourites from the list – the things we are most likely to be doing. Then, we need to come up with a strategy or way of doing something different. When we start to feel the pressure, being able to zoom out to see things in perspective, then refocus, will be much easier if we have prepared and practised for those key, stress-inducing moments.

You’ll find the students know exactly what they should be doing – revising regularly, eating well, going to bed on time etc. However, the fear and pressure of failure is all they can think about – rather than concentrating on what they can control. Going through this process helps them take responsibility and find the solution, recognising how they can take ownership in a positive but practical manner by creating a plan of action. If they need it, the student can also define how to involve their support network, be it at university or home.

Conclusions

As an educator or supporter, it is important to focus on what your role should be – creating a supportive environment in which students can learn and grow. Creating routines is very important to help keep their attention on what they should be doing.

When you’re under pressure, being aware of where your attention is and consciously moving from ‘red’ to ‘blue’ is the key. Once students start to recognise the pressure triggers, they’ll start to revert to learned behaviours with familiarity and comfort – whether that’s creating revision rotations of 30 minutes, three times a day, followed by a break to avoid the stress of cramming, or a 9pm bedtime rule in exam month to avoid inevitable tiredness.

With enough practise, this process will become natural and reflexive, providing a compass for navigating the stresses and difficult situations that will continue to appear throughout life.

Everyone is susceptible and everyone can get better. Universities offer a great chance to practise where we place our attention. From that place everything else follows.

By Bede Brosnahan, Operations Director at Gazing Red2Blue