When envisioning life at college you might have imagined crazy nights with friends, lots of sport games, and simply living your best life. Yet at one point in time, you find yourself struggling to complete an overload of assignments while trying to balance your personal life… or stressing over an important exam.
Sometimes as students we tend to focus more on these tasks than we do on prioritizing our overall health. When our well-being goes ignored, it increases one’s chances of initiating other health risks like low or high blood pressure, menstrual problems, eating disorders, and mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. Allowing stress to control our bodies can interfere with our educational career as it weakens our brain.
Nonetheless, there are several methods that can help cope with stress.
1. Practice Meditation or Yoga
Arranging a schedule that helps develop a few healthy habits can lead to a decrease in stress levels. Whether it’s in the morning before class or late at night, working out with a friend — or yourself, is a positive way to focus on yourself and physically care for your body. Different forms of exercise such as yoga can benefit the body and mind since it’s all about mastering the art of relaxation.
2. Set goals for yourself
Spending time worrying or thinking about the future can result in stress — or for some, trigger anxiety attacks. Nonetheless, setting goals for oneself is an approach that allows for many students (and others) to plan ahead. Give thought to what tasks you want to conquer that week, or what exam you know you’re going to ace.
Write down your goals in a journal, or even on your notes app! Begin with short term goals and then proceed with long terms goals… whichever is best for you! By setting goals, you are focusing on your personals priorities and working towards achieving them.
3. Work on setting a sleep schedule
More often than sometimes, college students find themselves losing track of time — skipping meals or working on assignments past three in the morning or both. With that comes losing hours of sleep as we unintentionally fail to realize that sleeping is a significant part of our health in terms of how the body functions during the day.
It is recommended that adults — 18 or over, should be getting at least seven hours of sleep per night. Start off by considering the time you plan to start your morning the next day to determine what the best time to go to sleep is for yourself. If you know there are several assignments waiting for you, don’t procrastinate! Plan periods throughout the week where you will focus on your tasks.
Lastly, not consuming the right amount of healthy nutrients can negatively impact one’s sleeping schedule. Alcohol, caffeine and nicotine are all factors that can lead to sleep disorders such as Insomnia.
4. Avoid social media
Social media can offer positive resources and more but how much screen time is actually enough?
Apps like Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok can become a toxic environment for those who spend hours and hours scrolling through their feed… it can become obsessive and addictive. Many people constantly compare themselves to strangers they see on social media and slowly begin to deteriorate their self esteem or mental health — wishing they were traveling the world or at that party.
Though everything is not what it seems as everything that glitters isn’t gold. Time wasted on social media is time that could be spent on bettering yourself… making self-care a priority. Large amounts of time on social media — or any screen-time, can develop sleep deprivation.
5. Talk to someone
It’s important to understand you are not alone. There are thousands of first-year college students who are impacted by stress… maybe someone you may know is going through the same thing. Reaching out to a loved one or someone who has experienced something similar can help. They might have some advice to offer, or simply words that are comforting such as words of affirmation.
Knowing that you have the support from those closest to you can serve as reassurance that you can and will get through these obstacles and challenges.
6. Seek professional help
Sometimes confiding in someone you know can be difficult — one might not be receiving the support they need or isn’t comfortable sharing, so many individuals seek professional help. Reaching out to a mental health counselor/therapist might seem scary at first, but they are there to guide and assist their patients to overcome those hardships that are interfering with one’s mental stability.
If you or someone you know is experiencing severe stress or other mental health issues, reach out.
As a first-time college student, it’s easy to allow stress to take over your body — mentally and physically. But there are many exciting adventures and experiences that are awaiting in the future. And know that it’s okay to take a step back or time out of the day to care for yourself… it’s all about finding out what works best for you and your health.