I'm not a mental health professional of any kind. If you feel that your stress is more than the stress that every student goes through at some point, I encourage you to become aware of the mental health services that your school or community provides.
Keep track.
Some people can manage all of their schoolwork and not miss a major deadline just by looking at a syllabus every so often. I am not one of those people. I’m a list maker, and an organizer, and a planner. I make to-do lists daily, keep track of weekly assignments in my planner, and keep up with long term due dates and exams on a big desk calendar. I check my syllabi daily to make sure that I’m not missing anything.
You may get more overwhelmed when they see all of your work written out. What’s important is to bear in mind that what works for me might not work for you. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with an assignment, take a step back and look at what you need to do, how long you have to do it, and what other assignments are due around the same time.
Prioritize.
It’s totally understandable to want to do your easiest work first. You understand it, and you’ll be able to get it done relatively quickly, so it almost feels relaxing. I try to force myself to do my most difficult or urgent work first, just to get it out of the way. Then when I do the easier work, or the things that I can spend more time on, it feels like a breeze.
Pay attention to deadlines.
It’s a situation that everyone has been in at least once — a deadline is rapidly approaching, and your work is nowhere near completed. Although this may seem like common sense, the easiest way to avoid this is to get things done early.
In college, when you’re balancing multiple classes and activities, it may seem difficult to get things done well before they’re due, but it’s possible. For long-term assignments like papers, it can be easy to spend 30 minutes each day just doing research, jotting down websites with important information, and printing articles. This way, you’ll be able to spend more time actually writing in the days immediately leading up to the due date.
Take notes.
Taking notes gives you a place to look back on information later. When I do any reading or film assignments, I write down the main events and themes that I notice. If I have to read in a textbook, especially if it’s a topic that I’m not too comfortable with, I write my notes like an outline, with main ideas as headings and details written out with bullet points. If you’re a more visual learner, it can also help to create concept maps and graphic organizers, or to copy any diagrams that are featured in the textbook.
How much does it matter?
When it’s the night before a paper’s due, and all you have is a few sentences vaguely resembling a thesis statement, entering a state of panic is easy and totally understandable. When this happens, it can be helpful to remind yourself of the positive. For some people, writing out lists of things to be happy or thankful for can highlight the relative insignificance of the paper. That’s not to say that you should say, “Screw it,” and not write it, but that you should make an effort to remind yourself that having to write a paper doesn’t make your life terrible.
Let it out.
Bottling up your frustrations is an almost guaranteed way to not move past them. If venting face-to-face isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other ways. You can make a phone call, type out a blog post, or write it out in a place where no one else will ever see it. For me, putting things into words helps me bypass the mental clutter that’s sometimes the result of having multiple things going on at once. It helps me see that sometimes, things aren’t as complicated or time-consuming as I’m making them out to be.
Stretch.
Whether it’s stretching at your desk, or rolling out a mat and practicing yoga, stretching can help with moods, concentration, and overall stress levels. If you need a quick-stretch-fix, I’m a fan of Tara Stiles’ book "Yoga Cures." It provides several brief routines that can help with mental clarity and stress. The most important thing to remember about this, in my opinion, is that you should try to immerse yourself in the yoga practice fully, so that you’re not stiffly getting into poses while your mind wanders to all of the things that you have to get done.
Get out there.
Stress of any kind is a selfish beast in that it turns its hosts inward. When your stress reaches critical levels, it becomes nearly impossible to focus on anything or anyone else. If your stressors are social or environmental, it can be helpful to separate yourself from them, if only for a short while. I’m not suggesting that you pack a bag and buy a one-way plane ticket across the country every time your family stresses you out, though that's totally acceptable if you feel that it’s the best option for you. Try to focus your mind on something else. Try something new, and if you work indoors a lot, spend some time outdoors. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a little while. A change of scenery or company can do wonders.
