“Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.” ― Bill Phillips.
I guess you are familiar with the adage, “Nothing good comes easily.” In every aspect of life, we face unprecedented challenges that, in many cases, negatively impact our well-being. Modern society has increasingly exerted pressure on almost everybody, be it on the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the devices we use-simply almost everything.
As a student, you cope with numerous workloads and deadlines, navigate through challenging concepts, and attend to other issues outside academics demanding your full attention. It gets worse if you are juggling between work and study. Besides ensuring you perform exemplarily to achieve your academic goals, your performance in the workplace is expected to be exceptional to realize the organizational goals.
Balancing between the two might expose you to the risk of mental health. Many commentators have observed that the cases of stress and related mental health issues have substantially increased in the recent past. One of the causes attributed to the phenomenon is the social isolation that has been occasioned by the modern busy lifestyle, where almost everyone is working under stretched schedules.
So, how would you overcome stress as a college student?
Tips and Tools to Manage Stress
Before we even explore the available tools you could leverage in managing stress as you cruise through your college life, it is essential that you understand anyone can develop a mental health issue. You should know that denial is one of the most dangerous things you can do when you are experiencing mental strains.
Here are some of the signs you should look out for:
- You start being easily irritable and get angry quickly
- You begin feeling overwhelmed
- You start experiencing sleep disturbances
- You no longer have your sense of humor
- You always feel like people have neglected you
- You start feeling like everyone is against you
- You feel like everything bad is happening to you
- You no longer feel interested in activities you enjoyed
- You feel like you can stop your thoughts from racing
- You always feel worried, afraid, nervous, or tense
The list isn’t exhaustive, but it provides you a guide on some of the things you should track as you continue with your college life.
Top 5 Tools to Manage Stress
- Relaxing Music: One of the best ways to overcome stress is listening to relaxing music. Music works best because it helps to calm your mind. When you internalize the lyrics, you become optimistic about life. It would be even much better if you tried to compose a song! That way, you can release your thoughts and emotions, reducing stress levels.
- Physical Activities: Despite your college life being busy, always make time for physical activities. If you are talented in sports, you can opt to join one. However, if you can’t participate in college sports, there are other numerous physical activities you can do. For instance, you can schedule morning runs, evening walks, and swimming.
- Writing Help: One of the main stressors for college students is the unending deadlines on assignments and homework. The good thing is that professionals from Writing Help can ease your academic burden, which enables you to create time for other activities. Professional homework helps ensure you avoid the stressful experiences of grappling with challenging concepts and worrying about deadlines.
- Time Planners: I can tell you that one of the top stressors for college students is poor time management. Yes! Time management is a skill, and most of us aren’t born with it. But the good news is that you can use numerous tools, including free online planners, to help you schedule your activities. You won’t believe how far time management goes in lowering stress levels.
- Online and TV Games: Another effective stress management tool is online and TV games. What I love about these games is the community they create. You become a part of a team of individuals you share interests with. When you have such a community, it is almost impossible to get yourself into stressful situations. You can always play the games at your convenience to recharge your mind.
Parting shot
No one is immune to stress. There is nothing to be shy about when you feel your mental health is at risk. As a student, you should understand the key things to look for to know whether you are experiencing stress.
Employ the tools discussed here to maintain your mental health and avoid stress. Always remember to share with your friends and relatives in case you have anything disturbing you. Avoid quick fixes such as drug abuse or gambling, which would further complicate your situation. Learn to understand the stressors, and you will easily overcome them.
Lesley J. Vos is a writing coach and a private educator of the French language from Chicago.
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