It’s no question that college is beyond stressful. The work can be overbearing, and having to balance school, a job, and a social life are on a new level compared to high school. No one said college life is easy, but when it comes to unmanaged stress, the results can be deadly. As college students we need to start taking better care of ourselves, and it all starts with learning little things to help manage stress, like the 11 ways below.
1. Toxic people in your life? Say goodbye.
I get that this isn’t always that easy, trust me, I’ve been there, but if someone is causing you more grief than anything else…it’s time you let them go and put yourself first.
2. A glass of wine a day helps keep the stress away.
Okay, let’s make it clear that I’m not encouraging drowning your problems in alcohol (or underage drinking), BUT a glass of wine has been proven to help people unwind from a long day (or a beer if you’re into that).
3. Run away your problems.
Exercise is a great way to help manage your stress, whether it’s running or (if you’re like me and not big on exercising) a nice walk outside.
4. Being the procrastination King/Queen isn’t an honored title anymore.
Trust me, I’ve held that title for longer than I remember, but it’s about time to let that phase of your life pass. There’s too much going on in college to procrastinate, so instead, find a way to prioritize and get things done earlier.
5. It’s all about the attitude.
As corny as this may sound, a positive attitude can change everything. If you’re always looking down on yourself and making yourself feel bad for things out of your control, then you’re just causing more harm.
6. Take a break!
Maybe don’t go on a 10-hour Netflix binge if you have an impending paper, but definitely find time throughout your day to just chill and let your brain rest.
7. Talk it out.
Being one who just started opening up to people, I can tell you that talking things out with someone you trust can really help. Not only does venting help alleviate stress, the person may also help you see a different perspective than you had.
8. Write it down.
Journaling is basically like another version of venting, and paper is great at taking the heat. Writing all your feelings out also helps you process your thoughts so your brain doesn’t feel like a pile of chaos. In times of stress, write down what’s wrong.
9. Don’t forget to sleep.
Sleep is absolutely everything. Getting little to no sleep can really screw with your head, so try and make sure that you’re prioritizing sleep. Plus, who doesn’t love sleeping?
10. Eating healthy actually helps.
I’ve always hated salads and vegetables and basically everything healthy, but since I had to completely change the way I ate, I realized that eating healthy does amazing things to your body. So next time you’re out eating, maybe don’t just skip over the salads on the menu.
11. Don’t forget that you’re only human.
We all want to be perfect, but that’s honestly never going to happen. The best part about being human is the fact that we’re allowed to make mistakes because that’s where we learn. So embrace your humanness instead of treating it like it’s an incurable disease.
Stress is never going to disappear, as much as we wish it would. There’s no point in letting it eat us alive though. By ignoring stress, that’s what you’re doing. It’s time for college students everywhere (and every other stressed person alive) to finally start managing their stress so that we can all lead better lives.
