College Stress Busting Tips
College can be an overwhelming time. You are away from home, often for the first time and often living with someone you didn’t pick, in a busy community where you are constantly amid other people. There is a lot of pressure to work hard, look good, meet people, and, above all, to succeed. Many students find the stresses of college to be too much. They end up quitting, often regretting this choice for the rest of their lives. If you find yourself feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, try these suggestions. They might help restore your sanity:
1. Exercise regularly. It’s a clich for a reason. Exercise is a proven way to combat stress. Just an energetic walk in the park or woods several times a week will help enormously. If you can find a treadmill or someone to run with, even better. The you exercise you get, the better you will feel. You will find your stress level is reduced, and you will sleep better.
2. Assemble a study group. If you’re stressed about a course, gather some other students and form a study group. Four or five others to go over the material once a week should do it. Even the most stubborn problem can be conquered with other minds on the matter. And don’t underestimate your contribution: You have things to offer, too, concepts they couldn’t get from the lecture or the text that came easily to you. Study groups can be formed both online or in-person so they work for both online education and campus universities.
3. Eat well. If you are on meal plan, pick your foods carefully. Make sure you eat plenty of vegetables (especially leafy greens), protein, and complex carbs (brown rice, bran, oatmeal). Buy yourself a good nutrition book if you don’t know which foods are healthiest for you. If you live off campus, take the time to cook simple meals like rice and beans, grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta and vegetables, salad. Once a week, cook something a bit more involved that you can keep in the fridge and heat up all week-a casserole or a soup, perhaps. Try not to each too much sugar. And don’t let yourself get too hungry; hunger can look a lot like stress and make you feel crazy and overwhelmed. Eating well, on the other hand, will go a long way toward helping you feel centered and efficient.
4. Get help. If you are having trouble with a particular course, if your course load feels like too much, or if you find yourself feeling worried and nervous much of the time, seek out the help of your advisor. That’s what he or she is there for. Don’t try and manage on your own if you aren’t feeling well. You (and maybe your parents) are paying good money to be in college, and you want to get as much out of it as you can. Being overwhelmed and stressed is not the optimal condition for learning. Your advisor may suggest you drop a course and add something else, or take less credits for the semester. If speaking with your advisor isn’t enough, consider talking to the college counselor or a therapist.
5. Have some fun. Remember college is supposed to be the best years of your life. Don’t spend it miserable and stressed. Get out with your friends. Go to the movies or a show. Have some friends over for dinner or drinks. Ask out that guy/girl you like. Spending time with friends is an excellent cure for stress. And don’t be afraid to talk about the stress you’re feeling. You’d be surprised how many other people feel the same thing.
College can be a lot to handle. But your stress level will abate if you are careful to take good care of yourself. Eat three meals a day, spend time with your friends, keep your workload at a reasonable level, and make sure you get enough sleep. If you still don’t feel well, get help. It may be just a matter of a meeting or two with your advisor or a therapist to get you feeling like yourself again.
Hilary Sloin is a staff writer for the American Educational Guidance Center. She writes on online colleges, accelerated degree programs, and online college doctoral programs.
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Regular meditation tends to be one of the most effective stress busting techniques around. You don’t have to be religious. Meditation is as religious or as secular as the practitioner.
There is always an object of focus. It can be the breath, body sensations, a concept, a line of a song, a nonsense word, a deity, Jesus - anything. In meditation, you are falling in love with the object of focus while keeping a solid posture. This is concentration. When thoughts come up, don’t push them away. Take note that you are thinking, you feel angry, etc. Then, gently bring your mind back to the object of focus. It’s like practicing an instrument. Over time, you get better at it. Set aside at least 5 minutes at a particular time every day.
If you REALLY want to create a good momentum of inner peace in your life, do a Google search for “meditation strategies” or “meditation strategy training”. You’ll find lots of good ideas. I know school’s out, but remember all this for next year. Good luck!
College can be an overwhelming time,but when go to work there are more stress
Don’t just settle for exercising in a gym. Try picking out a nice spot outside, by a park or lake right around sunset when the weathers not to hot. Do body weight exercises and stretches. After an hour workout you will be feeling refreshed and closer to nature.
What a great article. I printed this article to give to my daughter who is going away to school. I want her to study hard but I also want to remind her that this should be the best years of her life and she needs to relax and enjoy it.
Thanks for sharing such a nice and useful post with us. As i am college student too and i also go through the same stresses as any other college students. So i am sure that these tips are going to help us a lot….
Yeah! now a days attending college means gaining some good amount of stress and it seems that its like a daily dose. But getting rid of it is quite difficult and looks impossible too. But the tips and advices that you have shared with us seems to work quite well is anyone take them seriously. So thank you for sharing those useful stress killing tips and i am sure that you are going to help us on more things in near future through your post…
College stress is something that is unbearable and it seems that i am also a victim of it. I like others try different ideas and tricks to let the level of stress down but its impossible to keep it low. But after reading your post i think i am going to have some control over it and it will soon be finished from my life. So that i could live my life normally. Thanks for the post…
I think all of these are great ideas. They help the student develop structure, which is what a lot of them lack when they first go to school. A steady workout regime, maintaining a balance diet, having regimented study sessions, these things can be foundations that the student leans upon when things get a bit crazy and obstacles are coming at them from all angles. Never take for granted how important it is to maintain structure in your life, I did and paid dearly for it.
Yes, we need to chill and relax for sometimes after those hustle bustle in academics and extra-curricular activities. Furthermore, being in college we are prone to stress and mental fatigue since we exert lot of brain activities such as analytical and creative thinking. I appreciate you for taking the efforts in sharing these valuable tips. Thanks!
I think it is a great time whatsoever. Even with all the stress and so on. I wish I could repeat it))