10 Ways to Reduce College Stress

At any given point in time, most college students are stressed about something; its just part of going to school. While having stress in your life is normal and often unavoidable, being stressed is something you can control. Follow these ten tips to learn how to keep your stress in check and how to relax when it gets to be too much. 1. Dont Stress About Being Stressed This may seem ridiculous at first, but it is listed first for a reason: when youre feeling stressed, you feel like youre on edge and everything is barely being held together. Dont beat yourself up too badly about it! Its all normal, and the best way to handle stress is to not get more stressed about...being stressed. If youre stressed out, admit it and figure out how to handle it. Focusing on it, especially without taking action, will only make things seem worse. 2. Get Some Sleep Being in college means your sleep schedule is, most likely, far from ideal. Getting more sleep can help your mind refocus, recharge, and re-balance. This can mean a quick nap, a night when you go to bed early, or a promise to yourself to stick with a regular sleep schedule. Sometimes, one good nights sleep can be all you need to hit the ground running amidst a stressful time. 3. Get Some (Healthy!) Food Similar to your sleep habits, your eating habits may have gone by the wayside when you started school. Think about what—and when—youve eaten over the past few days. You may think your stress is psychological, but you could also be feeling physical stress (and putting on the Freshman 15) if youre not fueling your body appropriately. Go eat something balanced and healthy: fruits and veggies, whole grains, protein. Make your mama proud with what you choose for dinner tonight! 4.  Get Some Exercise You may think that if you dont have the time to sleep and eat properly, you definitely dont have the time to exercise. Fair enough, but if youre feeling stressed, it may be that you need to squeeze it in somehow. Exercise doesnt necessarily have to involve a 2-hour, exhausting workout at the campus gym. It can mean a relaxing, 30-minute walk while listening to your favorite music. In fact, in a little over an hour, you can 1) walk 15 minutes to your favorite off-campus restaurant, 2) eat a quick and healthy meal, 3) walk back, and 4) take a power nap. Imagine how much better youll feel! 5. Get Some Quiet Time Take one moment and think: when was the last time you had some quality, quiet time alone? Personal space for students in college rarely exists. You may share your room, your bathroom, your classrooms, your dining hall, the gym, the bookstore, the library, and anywhere else you go during an average day. Finding a few moments of peace and quiet—with no cell phone, roommates, or crowds—might be just what you need. Stepping out from the crazy college environment for a few minutes can do wonders for reducing your stress. 6.  Get Some Social Time Have you been working on that English paper for three days straight? Can you even see what youre writing anymore for your chemistry lab? You could be stressed because youre being too focused on getting things done. Dont forget that your brain is like a muscle, and even it needs a break every once in a while! Take a break and see a movie. Grab some friends and go out dancing. Hop a bus and hang out downtown for a few hours. Having a social life is an important part of your college experience, so dont be afraid to keep it in the picture when youre stressed. It could be when you need it most! 7. Make Work More  Fun You may be stressed about one particular thing: a final paper due Monday, a class presentation due Thursday. You basically just need to sit down and plow through it. If this is the case, try to figure out how to make it a little more fun and enjoyable. Is everyone writing final papers? Agree to work together in your room for 2 hours and then order pizza together for dinner. Do a lot of your classmates have huge presentations to put together? See if you can reserve a classroom or room in the library where you can all work together and share supplies. You may just lower everyones stress level. 8. Get Some Distance You may be handling your own problems and trying to help others around you. While this can be nice for them, check in and be honest with yourself about how your helpful demeanor may be causing more stress in your life. Its okay to take a step back and focus on yourself for a little while, especially if you are stressed and your academics are at risk. After all, how can you keep helping others if youre not even in a state to help yourself? Figure out which things are causing you the most stress and how you can take a step back from each. And then, most importantly, take that step. 9. Get a Little Help It can be hard to ask for help, and unless your friends are psychic, they may not know how stressed out you are. Most college students are going through the same things at the same thing, so dont feel silly if you need to just vent for 30 minutes over coffee with a friend. It may help you process out what you need to do, and help you realize that the things you are so stressed about are actually pretty manageable. If youre afraid of dumping too much on a friend, most colleges have counseling centers specifically for their students. Dont be afraid to make an appointment if you think it will help. 10. Get Some Perspective College life can be overwhelming. You want to hang out with your friends, join clubs, explore off campus, join a fraternity or sorority, and be involved in the campus newspaper. It can sometimes feel like there arent enough hours in the day. Thats because there arent. Theres only so much any person can handle, and you need to remember the reason why youre in school: academics. No matter how exciting your co-curricular life can be, you wont be able to enjoy any of it if you dont pass your classes. Make sure to keep your eye on the prize and then head out and change the world!