That time of year has come again. No not, winter – exams! On top of that, you have three projects, two tests and four essays! How can one person handle all of this stress? Simple. Take a deep breath, walk away from your stressors, and read these helpful tips that help de-stress yourself!
To begin with, I decided to ask a couple of our fellow STUdents what they do to help relieve themselves of stress.
Nathan DeLong, a second-year student likes to lift weights to relieve his stress.
“I take occasional breaks, go for a drive, and even go to the gym. Weightlifting, for me, is an effective technique to relieve stress.”
Nathan also has a plan to help ready himself for when exams come around.
“As for exam preparation, I try to focus on the material for the first exam on my schedule.”
Jordyn Meade-Baxter, also a second-year student, likes to take a break from her work.
“Usually I just remember to take a break once in a while. Sometimes I take a walk, get a snack and get back to it,” she says. “Listening to music between study [and] writing sessions and during helps a lot.”
Here are some more helpful tips that you can use when you’re stressed!
Isolate It!
Stressing over something can be hard, but stressing over multiple things can be too much and can lead to a total breakdown (trust me I know). One tip that I myself use is to just isolate the tasks you need to do. When you look at them all together, they can seem overwhelming and you think that you will never get them all done in time. But, if you isolate and just focus on doing one thing at a time, you’ll start to notice that you’re checking off your to-do list faster than you thought.
Also, don’t put it off! Even though you’re stressed, putting your work off until later will just add up to more stress in the long run!
Take a Breather!
Sometimes, when you’ve been working or studying for what feels like forever, your brain can’t function to its fullest because you’ve fizzed out! One thing that helps most students is to take a break. Do something that takes your mind off of your essay for 15-20 minutes. Go for a walk, take a nice hot bath, or watch some TV (just don’t binge-watch)!
P.S. I highly recommend the hot bath, especially with bubble bath; the heat of the water mixed in with the aroma of the bubble bath will relax and rejuvenate your senses!
Get Some Sleep!
If you’re tired, chances are whatever you’re studying will fall out of your head and onto your pillows once you finally do go to bed! The best way to soak in information is to actually get some sleep! Start fresh in the morning after you’ve gotten plenty of shut-eye.
Avoid Caffeine!
Even though things like pop, energy drinks and other caffeinated drinks help keep you awake, they also make you a lot more anxious and restless! So if you’re feeling tired, don’t open another can of Red Bull or down an extra shot of espresso, just go take a nap! If you need a drink to get through the late-night study sessions, substitute decaffeinated coffee, or better yet, herbal tea.
Be Positive!
It might sound cheesy, but being positive can be a big deal when you’re studying! If you keep telling yourself that you can’t do something, you won’t get it done on time or that your work looks bad, it just might start to! Have confidence in yourself and think positive!
The more negative you are on yourself, the slower and worse your work will become. Instead, remember to “just keep swimming, just keep swimming!”
Get a Hug!
Now, I’m not telling you to go run around hugging random people in order to relieve your stress, but I am telling you to take a minute and hug something. Whether it be a big soft teddy bear, your partner, a friend or your pet! Studies have shown that people become less stressed by getting a hug, and also petting something soft like a stuffed animal or your cat helps relieve stress as well!
In the next couple of weeks, I hope you’ll take some of these tips into consideration. And of course, good luck on your essay/project/exam!