As the resident expert on taking on stress, I believe I can provide some words of advice. Don't. It's not worth it.
Yes, you have that essay due tomorrow. And yes, you also have a calculus quiz and a CS project due in two days. That doesn't mean you have to stay up all night to finish your work. But you'll do it anyway. I know you. You won't be able to fall asleep until you finish all your work, otherwise, you'll panic. Now you're stressed out.
Stress is the middle name of every young adult, especially for ones in college. Heck, even fully grown adults take the unnecessary stress, to be quite honest. It's just become a part of everyday life. We tend to over exaggerate things, make a big deal out of small stuff. Procrastination is a big culprit in increasing stress. "Oh, I'll do it later" no you will not. Just get it done (he preaches as he continues to procrastinate on this very article).
The thing I've gradually come to realize is, stress does not help in any way. There's no point in worrying about what you have to do. It does not help in solving the problem anyway. In fact, taking stress makes one panic while completing their work, thus leading to a lower overall quality. But we do it regardless. Why?
As cliche as it may seem, the best way to relieve stress is to chill. Take a deep breath, and relax. Listen to some soothing music. Take it easy, don't be harsh on yourself! The best way to get work done is to think with a clear head. Take regular breaks between work, so that you don't over exert your mental capacity and get your brain cluttered up with a crapload of information.
As for procrastinating, well, the short answer is, don't. Despite what you may think, you don't have enough time to do everything on the day before it's due. Things change, stuff comes up. You will not be able to finish on time if you leave it at the last second. Something will happen, maybe a friend calls you up for dinner. You realize you wasted another day. You wish you could turn back time, but it's too late now. Now you're stressed out.
You end up attempting cramming all your work in one night, resulting in sleeplessness. Lo and behold, you oversleep in the morning, miss class, and have more work to catch up on. And rinse and repeat.
So buckle up, because it's going to be one hell of a ride. There will be many ups and downs. But you're gonna carry on, keep looking ahead. Maintain a list of things you have to do, and not wait till the last day to begin working on them. Now you're not stressed out.
And worst case, if all else fails, listen to the work of art known as "Baby Shark" as the ultimate stress reliever. Go ahead, Google it. You're welcome.
