Stress is apparent in everyone's lives. Whether it be the middle of summer or finals week, there is always some form of stress that can weigh on brains and bodies, often seeming unmanageable. This is not the case. There are ways you can prepare for stressful times if you know about them ahead of time, and there are ways to deal with stress when it is happening that can really rid your mind of the anxious thoughts it is having. Here are the ways you can survive your stressful day!

Before your Day Starts:

1. Give yourself time to wake up.

Set your alarm at an early enough time that you can lay in bed for a few minutes and stretch! That way, you can get out of bed, take a shower, workout, drink some coffee, do whatever it is that makes you happy and gives you energy for your day!

2. Eat Breakfast.

Being a college student, I understand that breakfast is not something that everyone likes or has time for, but by doing the previous step, you can give yourself some time to eat some toast with a banana or a bowl of cereal. If you are a breakfast person or even just a night owl, make your breakfast the night before! That way, it will be ready to go when you are.

Sit down outside or by your window to give yourself some natural light, bring your coffee and breakfast, and just write out what it is that you have to do. I can not tell you how much it helps to see the tasks you need to get done, because 90% of the time, it is way less than what you thought it was.

4. Write how long you think each thing will take.

This is something that I learned from a certified psychologist: When you make your to-do list, note the amount of time each item will take. This will help you to prioritize with the things that take the most time, and it also will show you that it will not take up your entire day. Most often, for me, I end up realizing that my list of twenty things will take four hours, and the only reason it would take longer would be because I spend my time worrying about it. For example, you may need to write some emails, do a math assignment, workout, get groceries, and clean your room. Writing emails would probably take around 15 minutes, math maybe an hour, working out 30 minutes to an hour, getting groceries around 45 minutes, and cleaning your room would be about 20 minutes (depending on how messy your room is). These five things seem like they would take forever, but really they would take anywhere from 1 hour and 50 minutes to 2 hours and 20 minutes.

During your Day:

5. Give yourself time for each task.

Now that you know that your list will only take a few hours, you can allow yourself time to do each one. You can take your time cleaning your room extra well or do an extra set of squats in your workout and not only will it not take up your entire day, it will make you feel good.

6. Just do it!

Even while allowing yourself time to complete your list, make sure that you actually do it. The short amount of time it will take does not give you permission to lay in bed and watch Netflix for four hours before starting the things you need to do. The faster you get them done, the more time you will have to watch Netflix guilt-free!

7. Appreciate yourself.

This may seem awkward to do, but think about how appreciative you would be if someone else did that entire long list for you! You are accomplishing a lot in your day and you should appreciate yourself for getting it all done and giving yourself more time to relax.

8. Keep your energy up.

Letting yourself have low energy from just sitting around will allow nonexistent time for doing unnecessary things. Turn on some dance music when you clean your room! allow yourself to look at your phone and respond to people after every 5 math problems! There are ways to have fun and keep your energy up when you are being productive.

After your Day:

9. Take a Breath.

I know you have been holding it in since you realized the amount of things you had to do, but it is over. Breathe. Everything is out of your control now, and you have done everything that you were responsible.

10. Reward yourself!

Call your friend, post a cute picture on Instagram, drink hot chocolate, take a bath, watch a movie, do whatever it is that makes you happy because you deserve it! You finished your stressful day and do not need to think about it anymore!

11. Go to bed early.

Along with having fun, though, it is important that you let your body sleep after such a long day. Take your time to destress and go to sleep, you may have a big day tomorrow.