A primary struggle for college students is always coping with stress, whether it is due to busy schedules, work conflicting with school, failing exams, etc. Stress is tough to manage and if you do not learn to manage it, you will struggle in life with school, work, and health. That's right, health. Stress ages you and weakens your immune system.
I definitely understand that stress can be tough to manage and when people tell you to "calm down," you just want to throw your nearest textbook right in their face (to put it lightly). However, I also know that if you don't manage it, you will break down. I had a couple of breakdowns recently and that's when I knew that it was time to get ahold of it. I thought back to everything that I used to do that would help with stress during high school, did all of those things and then some, and it helped tremendously. I don't know if these will work for you, but I recommend giving them a try.
1. Stop and figure out what is stressing you.
This is number one on my list because if you don't know what's stressing you, then you can't manage it. Think back. Is it assignments piling up? Is work getting too busy? Figure this out so that you know what to fix and what to talk to your peers about.
2. Close your eyes and breathe.
Deep breaths are very important when you become anxious. Abdominal breathing for about 30 minutes will increase oxygen in the brain while helping to stimulate parasympathetic nervous system, which is the nervous system that is responsible for calmness and rest. This will also help get you off of the couch and doing what needs to be done, which also helps reduce stress.
3. Talk to somebody.
Talking to friends, family, or a counselor can help you because you can have someone to relate to. Believe it or not, others get stressed too. If you and a peer just get together and vent every now and then, you could calm yourself down immensely.
Also, that person could help you figure out what you need to do, whether it is is cutting your hours down at work, getting a tutor, or whatever. People who care about you usually want to try and help you.
However, don't overwhelm them with your problems or you could make them stressed and upset them. I did this recently with my girlfriend and felt horrible about it. I can't believe that she didn't leave. She still helped, but most people probably won't.
4. Exercise.
I know what you're thinking, "Yuck. Exercise? No."
However, this has been proven to help tremendously with stress because, when you exercise, your endorphin levels (basically your brain's feel good sauce) rise and it will help you forget what you're stressed about. It also improves your mood, which will make you more fun to be around.
5. Write down a plan and goals and put them into action.
Be progressive about this. If you calm yourself down briefly and then don't do anything about it for the future, then you aren't helping yourself at all.
Write down a few goals for yourself, complete them as best as you possibly can, and I promise that the stress will reduce.
Well, there you have it. Now, I'm not saying that this will work for everybody, but it definitely helped me. I hope that this helps and I hope that you guys start to live a near stress-free life with these techniques.
References:
Posted by administrator, http://www.stress.org/take-a-deep-breath/, Aug. 2012
Posted by Mayo Clinic staff, http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress..., April 2015
