Everyone that is either in college or has a job usually becomes stressed to some degree. Some people can deal with stress better than others. For those who are like me and have a hard time with stress, we are left with a troubling question. How do we deal with this amount of stress? Well, I would like the take some time today on what can relieve (or in some cases, even remove) some of the college stress in your life, even during finals week.
In this post:
10 Ways To Deal With The Stress Of College
1. Take A Deep Breath
If you’re stressed and getting physically upset, remember to just simply take a deep breath and clear your mind for that moment. Clearing your mind will allow you to get a hold of your bearings on the stressful situation. WebMD offers some breathing techniques for stress relief.
2. Make Some Me Time
Make sure that you have time in your day to have some of that quality “me time”. Many people overlook this relaxing part of the day. “Me time” is that part of the day where you have at least an hour or two to yourself to do whatever you please (within reason mind you). It is also the best time to clear your mind and to simply reflect.
3. Exercise
Believe it or not, exercising can be a good way to relieve stress. It gets the blood pumping through your veins and it’s a great way to work off some of that pent-up stress and anxiety in life.
4. Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Harvard did a study showing that 70-96% of college students get under eight hours of sleep on weeknights. Make sure you get at least eight hours of sleep (or at least enough to fully function throughout your stressful day). A lack of sleep can cause one to be cranky and thus burnt out which adds unnecessary stress into one’s life.
5. Avoid Alcohol
It’s not good to drink alcohol or do any sort of drugs when stressed. It only masks the pain.
6. Eat Better
Eating very poorly (lots of sugar and starches in diet) can contribute to the stress in your life. People who eat a lot of starches and sugars tend to gain weight and become more sluggish in their busy daily lives which equals more stress. Eat balanced meals as much as you can and you will have more energy to deal with the stress.
7. Do Not Get Overwhelmed
The one thing I see a lot (particularly with students) is that we tend to OVERWHELM OURSELVES!! DO NOT OVERWHELM YOURSELF!! Be reasonable and conscious of how big your workload will be and how it will affect you. College Express offers recommendations of what to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed at college.
8. Don’t Procrastinate
Try to use your stress as an advantage. For example, you’re stressed about an essay that is due in two weeks. Get the essay that is due within two weeks out the way that way you have less to stress about. Do not procrastinate! Check out this article by CollegeData.com on tips to avoid procrastination.
9. Think Positive
When you have stress in your life, try to think of the positives in your life like how lucky you are to have a family or friends, or whatever you are truly thankful for.
10. Talk It Out
If you have any sort of family, friend, relationship stress, or any stress affecting your way of life, it can be best to talk out your problem with a very close friend, family member, or a counselor. It would be wise to talk your problems out before you get to the point of needing to pay to see a therapist or counselor.
Hopefully, these stress management suggestions will prove useful to all you stressed-out college students out there.
