I was once asked by a school teacher how I was coping with stress. I was in my last year of Sixth Form, juggling writing a personal statement, university entrance tests, Head Girl commitments, schoolwork, and completing an – unsuccessful, obviously – Oxford application. I was at the point where the concept of not working had become stressful itself. So, when asked how I coped with stress, I realised I had no answer. However, in keeping with my attempts to come across as more relaxed and laidback than I am, I – very nonchalantly – responded that my method was to complete whatever task was causing my stress.
This method, while seeming logical, is a death wish in the long run. Working consistently will only cause more stress. So what are the answers? With summative season approaching, here are some key methods to prevent being crushed by the imminent and unstoppable tidal wave of stress.
Plan every minute of your day. (Every. Minute.)
While I may be over-exaggerating, this is the Holy Grail of stress relief. If, like me, you take pride in having a well-ordered planner, you should already be feeling the effects of this. If not, you will find that planning your days, hours, and entire life (if I could, I would), in itself becomes a form of stress relief. From making sure you complete tasks before their deadline, to fitting in extra-curricular activities, planning your time generally makes you feel like you have everything together.
However, this also comes with a warning. If you plan, then make sure you stick to the plans you make, or else you are in effect wasting your own time. This, as I’m sure you can guess, is not very stress-relieving.
Exercise
A study published by Harvard Medical School found that aerobic exercise was able to dissipate stress. This has a neurochemical basis, meaning you really can’t get away from this one. So even if it makes no sense to go for a run when you have three essays sat at home, just remind yourself that these are long term solutions for a healthier state of mind, rather than short term fixes. It’s also pretty good for your body too.
Avoid excessive alcohol
The tough one. Even though alcohol can provide us with a beautiful state of happiness and contentment, if you’re anything like me, a night filled with alcohol will be followed by a day full of wallowing in self-pity at your poorer state of health – clearly not the ideal condition to be in if you want to be productive.
While it is also important to have fun and enjoy your time at university, the danger here is going overboard, or using alcohol as a means of controlling stress. As studies have found, in the long term excessive alcohol intake can lead to an increase in the chances of depression and anxiety, negatively impacting the ability to deal with stress. If you are worried about how much you or someone else is drinking, or have any questions about alcohol, visit the Drink Aware website (https://www.drinkaware.co.uk).
Learn to say no
Tying in with planning, learning to say no to certain events and commitments you know will cause unnecessary stress – or that you cannot fit into your plan – will vastly reduce stress during summative season. If anything, reducing the amount of leisurely activities you do to fit in more work will only enhance the amount of enjoyment you will experience from these social events after the work is done.
So again, here we need to think about the long term. If you go out tonight, will you be stressed about finishing your work for next week?
Everyone gets stressed
At the end of the day stress is normal. If your summative season passes by without you even breaking a sweat, you are either a master-level planner, or in a lot of trouble.
So, remember, stress is the body’s response to demanding circumstances, and in some senses, is inescapable. As well as attempting to reduce any excessive stress, you should also embrace the positive effects stress can bring, such as a it being tool for motivation, and its ability to enhance our cognitive ability.
And yes, I was stressed about writing this article.
Image Credits:
https://unsplash.com/photos/RLw-UC03Gwc
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/558235316302952074/