Emily Ferguson was pursuing her final year when the stress of back-to-back assignments, part-time jobs and regular classes started to weigh down on her. She had a hard time concentrating on her studies and a part-time job. She even opted for a homework help service to get guidance on her pending homework paper.
Like Emily, many students would probably agree that stress and anxiety have been regular visitors in their lives. It isn’t uncommon for students to feel overwhelmed between rigorous curriculums and exams. However, there are ways to deal with this concern. So, let’s dive in to talk about the number of ways you can manage stress as you encounter the challenges of college life.
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Don’t try to accomplish everything in a day
It’s common for students to misjudge the time needed to finish studying a chapter, thinking that it can all be done in just one sitting. Once they realise it’s more than what they can handle, that’s when the stress creeps in. This is called the “planning fallacy.”
This is why you need to break your tasks down into chunks, consider how much you can get through. Once you’ve got everything written down in detail, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself and can start working on the tasks instead of panicking.
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Put your physical health first
You may not realise this, but your physical health can severely impact your mental health. Sleep deprivation, unhealthy diet and lack of exercise can affect your mood and elevate stress levels. So, it’s important that you follow these basics.
- Always try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep. Several studies have stated that lack of sleep can contribute to symptoms of anxiety.
- Manage your overall nutrition by eating balanced meals.
- Indulge in some form of physical activity. Go for a run, dance to a Zumba routine from YouTube or do yoga. Such activities will release endorphins, which serves as a natural painkiller.
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Don’t give up on your passion
Your schedule may be packed with lectures and internships, but try to find at least a couple of hours each week to indulge in a hobby or other activity that you thoroughly enjoy.
Make sure you do something that brings peace even amidst a chaotic schedule. Indulging in such activities will promote the anti-stress physiology of your body.
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Practice gratitude
In times of anxiety, it’s essential that you take a step back and count your blessings. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that practising gratitude can improve your psychological health by eliminating the toxic emotions, like frustration, envy and resentment. It can also help to boost self-esteem and promote mental strength.
So, you can keep a gratitude journal by writing down three things that you’re grateful for each day. Looking for new things to be grateful for every day will help you cultivate more positive emotions as well as decrease stress.
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Get Organized
Believe it or not, but clutter can cause stress, reduce productivity, and even cost you money. Students often live in a cluttered place, and that results in a negative impact on their grades. One pertinent way to cut down the amount of stress that you experience is to keep a minimalist, well-organized study area that’s free of distractions and clutter.
This will help lower stress levels considerably, and students won’t spend time trying to find something important that they lost. It also enables students to develop a positive feeling about their study area, which helps with their test prep and encourages more studying.
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Get emotional supports
Adjusting to college can be stressful, and at times you’d want to talk about your struggles to a trusted friend to prevent unnecessary stress. It’s a way to relieve your tensions and lower your stress levels.
Think of a friend or a family member who won’t be judgmental or would listen to you patiently. You can also ask for the support of a professional counsellor or psychologist. Make sure you go to a trusted practitioner.
Parting thoughts,
As college student students, you’re experiencing one of the best phases of your life. So, you wouldn’t want stress to creep in like an uninvited guest. That’s why remembering these ideas will help you keep stress at bay without compromising on your academic performance.
