by Aubrey Montoya
Daily Lobo
Student Robin Kim said she's a little stressed about her future.
"It's all uncertain," she said. "I don't know what's going to happen or what decisions I need to make."
Dr. Jason Steinle may have the answers Kim is looking for.
Steinle is the host of television and radio versions of "The Steinle Show" in Denver and author of Upload Experience: Quarterlife Solutions for Teens and Twentysomethings.
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He said much of the stress college students experience has to do with their doubts about the future and instability in their lives. Because college students face so many choices and paths, they put pressure on themselves to make good decisions from the start, he said.
"The truth is, it doesn't work that way," Steinle said. "It's impossible to make all the right decisions from the beginning, but we put so much stress upon ourselves to do that. It creates a lot of anxiety and depression that's self-generated - purely based on expectations we've placed."
There are ways to make the transition into the real world smoother, Steinle said. He said a support system is a necessity.
"In college you're surrounded by peers," he said. "You're so used to being around your peers that you take it for granted. Then all of a sudden, you graduate from college and you may end up at a company where you're the youngest one, and there's nobody close to your age by about 10 years."
Steinle said a way for people to make that transition into the workplace easier is to keep in touch with friends from college.
"Whether it's by e-mail or telephone - to maintain those college relationships you have today, especially as you first leave college, I think would be really good advice for people," Steinle said.
Student Madeline Breneman said Steinle's advice is valid, but it is harder to achieve than he makes it out to be.
"I think it's good advice, but whether or not anybody will take it is up for discussion," Breneman said. "It's harder to stay in touch than people actually acknowledge, so it might be hard for people to actually take that to heart."
Steinle also said there are ways to help yourself when you start to feel stressed, such as asking four questions: What is the worst that could happen? What is the best that can happen? What is most likely to happen? Am I willing to live with the worst in order to have a shot at the best?
"What I've discovered through my research is that by asking the four questions, it puts things into perspective," Steinle said. "Even though you still have all the decisions to make, you are less likely to become overwhelmed."
Student Brian Schreiber agrees.
"I deal with stress by putting things in perspective and prioritizing on things such as financial aid and stuff like that, which is something I never had to deal with when I was in high school," Schreiber said. "Now that I'm in the transition, I have to put things in priority of what I need to do and get done at certain times."
People should also not anticipate great things all at once, Steinle said.
"We expect to have the lifestyle that our parents have today, not acknowledging that it took our parents 20 to 40 to 50 years to achieve that quality of life," Steinle said.
Steinle also said graduates should use the tools available to them. One of the most important tools is communication, he said. He recommended Visiting www.toastmasters.org to learn more about groups in people's area. He also recommended using people's names when talking to them and to smile, because smiling puts the other person at ease.
"We live in a global society today," Steinle said. "Your ability to effectively communicate plays a significant role in your success and quality of your life."
