Stress in college is a natural thing that happens. In fact, stress helped our ancestors survive by helping them gather their resources and fight to survive. However, college students are rarely experiencing normal levels of stress. As they have lots of assignments to write, classes to attend, and topics to study, they can easily start feeling stressed.
Stress makes you think you do not have the resources you need to face the challenge ahead. But in high quantities, these thoughts may actually cloud your judgment and make you worry a lot. So, what are some ways you could deal with stress? Here are 10 ways college students can do this.
1. Sleep Well
One of the problems students have is getting a good night’s sleep. This usually happens because they disrupt their natural sleeping patterns. We can see college students pull all-nighters and work on their essays during the night to be able to finish them before the deadline. On top of this, they drink caffeine to be able to stay awake and this may lead to insomnia and poor sleep.
So, it’s crucial to sleep well in college. Sleep deprivation makes your brain fatigued and not in its peak cognitive performance. If you have too many essays to write and too little time, you can get the help of a professional paper writing service.
2. Exercise Often
This is another thing students do poorly in college or even skip entirely. Lack of time is one of the main reasons they do this. But exercising is essential and it boosts your mental health. Endorphins, the feel-good hormones are released during intense exercising sessions. They are known to alleviate the levels of stress and come with a positive vibe and emotions. So, it can actually help you deal with stress.
3. Take Care of Your Nutrition
Stress is felt differently by every person. While some people gain weight when they are stressed, others lose weight. No matter the group you identify yourself with, it’s essential to take care of your nutrition during your study years and not only. Eat fewer fast foods and focus on healthier choices. Fruits and vegetables should be on the top of your list. As lack of time is the main reason students order food, you can plan and prepare some easy meals during the weekend.
4. Visualization
When you are feeling very stressed, there is a technique that could help you lower these levels a bit. And this technique is called guided imagery. If there is a specific thing that stresses you out, which usually is, you can visualize performing at it as you want it to. For example, you might need to hold a presentation in front of the entire class. Visualizing that your performance will be incredible will help you feel less stressed.
5. Energy Boosters
Your body cannot naturally stay awake for a lot of hours, as it needs sleep to replenish its energy levels. However, we all know that college life is hectic and students are pulling all-nighters often. And they use energy boosters such as caffeine or other artificial stimulants. Even though they give you energy at the moment, in the long term they disrupt your sleeping patterns.
6. Listen to Music
All youngsters listen to music and there are a lot of music genres you can choose from. However, when you are feeling stressed, you might fail to identify this as a nice way to deal with stress. Listening to music comes with cognitive benefits, it can help you focus, but also relax when you need to.
7. Organize Your Study Space
Living in student dorms comes with clutter and roommates. And sometimes, having too many things around you can make you feel crowded, agitated, and stressed. Organizing your study space to be minimalist could help you relieve stress. This is essential not only for your stress levels but for your productivity too. Cluttered spaces unfortunately have this effect: to make you feel uninspired.
8. Take Breaks
When you feel stressed and you have many assignments to submit, you might want to cram everything in the time you have left. Not taking any break to finish the assignment is something students usually do. But to create an outstanding paper, you need to take breaks. Try any technique that suits your learning style, but make sure you give your brain the opportunity to relax, unwind, and get a fresh perspective.
9. Time Management Is Key
The time you have in a day is limited. However, assignments just seem to pile up on your desk and you might feel stressed when you see them. There are so many tasks you have to do you do not know which one to start with. Not being organized comes with stress, especially when you have a crowded period. It is therefore important to organize your time the best you can.
When using time management techniques, it is essential to be aware of one thing. Even though you manage to be productive, you might not manage to accomplish all the tasks on your to-do list. Some tasks might take you longer than anticipated. But do not let stress overwhelm you. Prioritize your tasks and make sure you accomplish the most important and urgent ones first.
10. Optimism
Even though it may sound strange, optimism has positive consequences. Those who are optimists indeed create better opportunities. They also have a more positive outlook on life and its events. You might find it difficult to do it when there are so many things that stress you out. But you can use affirmations and learn more about the power of optimism. But be careful to not fall into the extreme of toxic positivity.
Final Thoughts
Being a student in college is stressful, but hopefully, these 10 ways to deal with stress will help you handle all the academic challenges that lie ahead. Find the ones that work the best for you and alleviate college stress.
