We’ve all been there, assignments are piling up as classes are coming to an end, and exam season is looming over us. Stress is at an all time high. Now a little bit of stress in your life isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however with so much going on at the end of the year it’s always a good idea to know how to better manage it. Here I will go over three of my favourite ways to relax and get the stress out!
Say you’ve been writing one of many essays due before the term is officially over. Your eyes are probably getting pretty sore from staring at the computer screen and there’s a good chance that one paragraph is giving you a hard time. I bet right about now you’re starting to feel a bit stressed. My advice? Step away from the computer. Go take a short 10 minute stroll around the campus, dorm, library, or wherever you’ve planted yourself. While walking around stretch out your arms and back to loosen yourself up a bit . This might sound a bit silly, but doing just the littlest bit of physical exercise can really help you to clear your mind and de-stress. Source Here.
Another way to de-stress (and one that I do all the time) is to crank up the tunes and enjoy some music. While genres like classical music may have a particularly soothing effect for some people almost any music that you love will help you to relax. That jam that you love is more than a catchy song it can trigger a release of chemicals in the brain that boost your mood and help you to de-stress! And while music can soothe everyday anxiety (pump it up on the drive home!) research has shown that it’s particularly beneficial for those in the midst of stressful events, such as exams! Source here.
My final piece of advice for coping with stress is pretty simple and something that will definitely help you no matter what is going on in your term, or life. My advice for dealing with stress? Get organized! Write down when assignments or essays are due. Make a game plan to accomplish even a little bit of homework over a few days, that way you are not stressing and pulling an all-nighter in order to finish that assignment that is due at 8am tomorrow. By organizing your workload and putting that organization into practice not only will you stop rushing to finish the smallest of assignments, but your writing can improve, your stress will be more manageable, and you can kiss all-nighters good-bye!
Overall when it comes to managing stress, everything depends on mindset. If you don’t see the work as stressful, or as big, you won’t treat it as big, and thus, you’ll get less stressed about it. You’ll be able to complete your assignments with a clear head, sleep better, and maybe even feel better about the quality of the work that you put out. And even if you don’t do well this time around, you’ll still have an invaluable tool for managing stress, and workloads that you can bring to whatever workplace you are at.