Therapy is Now Just a $5 Cup of Coffee
For many stressed, overwhelmed and fatigued college students, coffee is a buffer from focusing on their mental health.
Every morning at New York University, herds of groggy college students stumble into the Starbucks on West 4th Street in Manhattan before their 8 a.m. class, desperately yearning for that venti caramel macchiato that will hopefully be enough to satiate their daily caffeine craving. They shuffle through the quickly expanding line like zombies, the smell of freshly brewed java wafting through the air, awakening their senses. Finally, those first few glorious sips of that bitter beverage fuels them with energy until they are ready to tackle a long and laborious day ahead filled with classes, exams, extracurriculars, and any other commitments they might have.
While some may dismiss this scene as typical, especially on a bustling college campus, it may actually point to something far more serious. Burnout, stress and fatigue runs rampant at most schools, resulting in masses of students turning to coffee in order to simply keep their eyes open during lectures. Many use caffeine to suppress anxiety and other mental health problems instead of seeking proper care and, as a result, develop unhealthy addictions to the energizing stimulant.
According to a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, 92% of college students consume something containing caffeine — whether it be sourced from energy or soft drinks, tea, gum or even medication — demonstrating that coffee is not the sole antidote for lethargy and mental health deterioration. These students indicated that caffeine often helps them feel more awake, improves concentration and physical energy, as well as enhances mood and alleviates stress.
However, students striving to graduate summa cum laude might want to lay off the java. Surveys show a negative correlation between caffeine consumption and grade point average. According to collected data, those who drank one cup of coffee a day had an average GPA of 3.41, while students who drank two cups fall at around 3.39. Meanwhile, students with a more severe coffee addiction, five or more cups per day, tended to have an even lower GPA of 3.28.
“Caffeine can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety,” says mental health counselor, Dr. Susan Meklune. “When we do a mental health screening for anxiety, one of the questions we ask is about caffeine intake, as excessive amounts can have a deleterious impact on overall health as well as mental health,” she adds.
By now, the tale of the stressed and sleep-deprived college student is old news. But with the major upheavals to academic life brought along by COVID, such as the return to in-person classes and events, students have been forced to relearn pre-pandemic protocols and take on the burden of busy schedules. “These are uncertain times; we aren’t sure of what the future holds, so we need to develop strategies to help us negotiate the uncertainty,” Meklune suggests.
Another study from the National Library of Medicine found that 71% of surveyed students reported increased stress and anxiety as a result of COVID, forcing many to adopt both positive and negative coping mechanisms. Many caffeine addicts will admit that it is certainly not one of the most constructive methods when dealing with anxiety, yet stressed out students continuously turn to it as a remedy for their troubles.
“In order to deal with anxiety & stress you must accept that you have these feelings so you can deal with them,” explains Meklune. For those struggling, she offers up a variety of positive coping strategies such as listening to music or exercising, but warns that they are only as effective as you let them be. “You must view these activities as essential as your school work or other responsibilities. If you perceive them as a burden to what you already have to do, they won’t help. It’s all about perception,” she advises.
“It’s certainly not the best alternative,” concedes Villanova University sophomore, Chloe McAloon, in reference to using coffee to cope with student burnout. McAloon is an avid coffee drinker, averaging around three large cups per day, primarily to keep up with her busy academic and social schedules. She speculates that there is correlation between workload and caffeine consumption. “I can only imagine myself getting increasingly busy…the withdrawal would kill me,” she laughs while hypothesizing what would happen if she were to quit her iced vanilla lattes cold turkey.
“I think that burnout comes gradually when you least expect it. At that point, you’re mentally and physically exhausted,” she says. McAloon also advocates for educational settings to adopt “more of an open dialogue for students to express themselves and for their thoughts and opinions to be taken seriously in the form of tangible change.”
For some, coffee only acts as a placebo, yet still proves favorable over no caffeine at all, especially when used as a method for stress mitigation. Florida State University student Julia Oliveira, is skeptical about the effectiveness of caffeine now that she drinks it regularly. “I drink it for the promise of it helping me stay awake, but I don’t think it actually does anything,” she says doubtfully.
Oliveira constantly juggles a busy schedule of biology lectures, swim club, and duties as a Resident Assistant, turning to coffee in hopes that it will keep her running throughout the day. “I like being involved, but when a lot of things pile up, it gets intense,” she reveals. “Burnout is definitely a big concern for college students, especially myself. I frequently feel stressed and it becomes hard to prioritize important things like sleep,” noting that she puts in extra effort to manage her time accordingly.
But not every busy student is a fiend for caffeine. NYU pre-med student Josie Liu chooses to abstain from drinking coffee because she fears becoming dependent on it. “I always hear about people being addicted to coffee and I don’t want to rely on something to build up my energy,” she says. Instead, she stays motivated by the detailed plans she sets for herself in order to remain productive during the week. “I plan everything I do, hour by hour,” Liu says, explaining that schedules are her primary method to avoid feeling overwhelmed. However, she does admit that drinking coffee would probably prove beneficial and give her a much-needed lift, but has no plans to begin to do so.
Mental health and wellness services are available at most universities and colleges, attempting to help students ease their qualms, especially during such unprecedented times. “It’s important that schools are sensitive to these differences among students and work with them to support a positive transition,” says Meklune. Student wellness counselors and representatives from NYU were unable to comment on this matter as they must prioritize their time for clinical work with patients.
The issue with widespread coffee dependence — like any other addiction — is that once you start, it becomes nearly impossible to stop. For most college students, there is little incentive to quit caffeine (besides perhaps to stop their bank account from dwindling). But as McAloon duly notes, “You can use it to try to mitigate stress, but in the end, it’s not healthy at all.”
