It's the start of a new semester, and you're feeling optimistic about all the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead. But then the reality sets in. You look at your schedule and realize you have a never-ending pile of assignments, exams, and presentations looming over you. Do you feel anxiety come over you before a test? Are you the type to lose sleep worrying about a paper? If you habitually procrastinate until the last minute or create unrealistic expectations for yourself, you aren’t alone. You’re just one of the thousands of students who feel academically stressed out.
Recognizing that you are stressed is a skill set on its own. It’s not always the easiest thing to see. When you allow stress to dominate your life, it can have adverse effects on more than just your mental health. Common ways stress can affect your body include:
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Academic stress is a common phenomenon among students. The pressure to perform, keep up with coursework, and maintain a social life can be overwhelming. But what if we told you that there is a way to turn that stress into a manageable burden?
In this blog post, we're going to dive into the world of stress-busting strategies and explore some fun and effective ways troubled students can cope with academic stress. Our mission is to provide you with practical and enjoyable tips that you can apply to your daily routine, no matter how busy you are. We understand that academic stress can be debilitating and it's one of the many challenges students face. Still, with the right tools, it can be transformed into something manageable.
We are human, and making mistakes is an unavoidable part of being alive. But every mistake you make provides you with an opportunity to learn more about yourself. When you’re trying to learn a new skill, you have to practice. If you want to improve at a sport, learn an instrument, or progress in anything, you must practice at it. The more you practice good time management and study skills, the more prepared you’ll be for your test. Similarly, the more you practice using a healthy mindset and study habits, the better you will feel.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool you can use when academic stress starts to overwhelm you. Finding a way to calm yourself physically also allows you to relax mentally. As soon as you feel anxiety come over you, stop and breathe. Try closing your eyes and breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Steady yourself by matching your inhales and exhales, and try to make each last 8 seconds. Moments like these help you recharge.
It’s easy to let your mind wander. You’re sitting there working on your assignment, and all of a sudden, you think about that group project you have. Will everybody complete their work? What if someone forgets something? How will that affect your grade? Don’t let yourself travel down the rabbit hole of what-ifs beyond your control. You are only in control of yourself. The time you spend worrying about things you have no power over is time you could dedicate to your tasks.
It’s essential to take care of yourself. Eating pizza and chips every night deprives your body of the necessary nutrients. Staying up all night studying just to sleep all day makes it much more challenging to concentrate on your studies. Dedicating so much time to studying that you forget to go outside and ignore friends leaves you alone and isolated. In order to function at your best, you have to keep yourself physically and mentally healthy. Eat three meals a day, and make sure to drink water. Get at least seven hours of sleep each night, take a hot shower, go for a walk, and laugh with friends - these things are good for us! When you feel academic stress start to take over you, challenge yourself to do three positive things for yourself every day.
When you find yourself stressing about a seemingly impossible question or assignment, don’t let it take up more than 5 minutes of your time. Reach out to a friend, a parent, or a teacher, then move on to a different task. Don’t spend hours focusing on this problem, no matter how significant it may be. Wasted time will slow you down, and you’ll feel emotionally drained when you try to shift your focus to a new task.
To-do lists can make seemingly insurmountable workloads more manageable. They allow you to outline exactly what you need to complete and prioritize accordingly. Writing down exactly what needs to get done will enable you to visualize the task. Once you are able to look at it on paper, it won’t feel as daunting. Bonus: checking off items on a to-do list feels AMAZING!
The most significant power we, as people have is the ability to ask for help. Academic stress can snowball into an issue that's too overwhelming to handle on your own. Tutors are a great way to help get control of academic pressures at the elementary, high school, and college levels. Having one-on-one interactions with someone who better understands your studies in a comfortable location allows you to learn in a much less stressful environment. Without the frustrations that come along with learning at a classroom pace, you may find it easier to focus and truly grasp complex material.