Mark Abrams hoped his doctor had the answer. For months he battled fatigue, acid reflux syndrome, skin breakouts, and hair loss. He struggled through nights of fitful sleep and tried to find an explanation for the friends who commented on his deteriorating appearance. "It got to the point where I was going the doctor three times a week," he says. While Abrams, 26, never received a clear medical diagnosis, he was forced to examine his lifestyle. Simultaneously pursuing a Master's in Public Administration at the University of Southern California and a Master's in Jewish Communal Services at Hebrew Union College kept him busy. A weekly 20-hour internship, 15 hours of homework, and team project meetings kept him overwhelmed.

Abrams had to acknowledge that academic pursuits had taken over his life and that the stress was literally beating him up. "I didn't want to admit that it was stress," he says. "It's a lot easier to take an antibiotic than manage stress-managing stress can be stressful in itself."

The Good News Is, You're Not Alone. The Bad News? You're Not Alone.
It's not just Abrams, either. The academic years, once thought of as a time of partying and freedom, have become heavy with a level of stress comparable to working in a fast-paced corporate environment. A study conducted last year at the counseling center at Kansas State University found that more and more college students are dealing with disorders connected to excessive stress and anxiety. The root of the stress is connected to many factors, but pressure to succeed academically and lack of consistent familial support are at the top of the list. In a New York Times interview, Dr. Robert Portnoy, the director of counseling and psychological services at the University of Nebraska, noted that many students do not have the adequate emotional support to help them navigate stressful situations. "What would once have been a difficult patch for someone in the past is now a full-blown crisis," he says.

Balancing heavy academic loads with internships, work, and a semblance of a social life is nearly impossible to accomplish stress-free. In addition to pursuing an AAS (Associates of Applied Science) in Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design, Katie Urban, 27, has a part-time job and an internship. Continually swamped and pulled in conflicting directions, stress has become a part of her daily life, while feeling healthy and relaxed doesn't happen often enough. "Stress makes me grumpy, tired, self-pitying, and depressed," she says. The lack of recreation also takes its toll on Urban: "I don't get to see my friends very often, so I also feel like a loser."

Step One
Acknowledging that stress is actually happening is the first step to controlling it. Abrams had a difficult time recognizing it as the cause of his poor health. As an undergrad, he would feed off of academic stress, thriving under the pressure. Now older and with a greater course load, it took him longer to understand that his body was shutting down from pushing it too hard. "Whether or not I want to admit it, my body has shown me that it is stressed and I need a break," Abrams says.

Perspective and Priorities
It was after a doctor asked him to list his hobbies that Abrams realized that he had pushed away the things that he enjoyed doing to give everything to his schoolwork. Sure, he's in an honor society and receives praise from his professors, but he's also got a continuous sniffle and chronic tension in his back. Reconfiguring his priorities, Abrams has since made his health a primary concern. He takes time to paint--a long-lost hobby--and spends more time playing with his dogs. He carves out time for baths, walks and professional massages. He also works at having fun. Pushing through the fatigue that takes over at the end of the day, Abrams makes sure that he hangs out with friends and family and engages in activities that have nothing to do with school.

Perspective has helped Urban handle her stress. "I'm trying not to be such a perfectionist and give more time to the things that really matter--like my boyfriend or my friends and family--and I'm also trying to learn to say no to things," she says. For practical application, Urban recommends using a planner to balance deadlines and suggests going out after class with fellow students for a "low-guilt break."

Nobody's Going to Do It for You
As professors continue to pile on the work and demands in and out of the classroom increase, both Abrams and Urban agree that students have to take stress management into their own hands if they are going to maintain their health. Today is a good place to start: "I'm trying to take it one day at a time instead of looking forward three weeks," says Abrams.