The life of a college student can feel like pure chaos. Managing classes, a job, an internship, social events, sleep, AND personal time feels like a superpower in itself. Amidst the craziness of life and a schedule that never seems to let up, stress can become an ever-present evil.
Stress leaves us cranky, overwhelmed, and feeling like we’re going to pull our hair out. There is no one-stop solution to alleviating stress. In fact, it will never be completely absent from life, especially as students advance into the corporate world. Still, there are methods that college students can utilize to decrease stress levels long-term.
a regular Sleep schedule
College seems to be around the time in a student’s life where sleep is forgotten or put in the back of the mind. Classes and work times var,y and all-nighters to study are pulled, leading to poor sleep hours.
The CDC shared that “getting enough sleep is not a luxury—it is something people need for good health. Adults need seven hours or more of sleep per night for the best health and well-being”. Imagine the impact that ongoing sleep deprivation must have on students who are not getting adequate rest.
Check your schedule to see your average wake-up times and when you normally get to bed. It’s great to ensure seven hours of sleep on an individual basis but even more so to have a set sleep schedule. If your earliest day starts at 6:00 AM, then maybe try getting up at this time every morning. And even if the latest night of the week goes until 11:00 PM, this would still give you seven hours of sleep when following this daily.
Making strides to rejuvenize your sleep schedule might mean giving up late night get-togethers or beginning studying earlier in the evening, but imagine the energy and benefits to well-being that will shine into the following days, weeks, semester…
Forget dieting, try mindfulness
One of the worst parts of stress, both short-term and long-term, is the cravings that come along with it. The American Psychological Association reported that 38% of adults admitted to unhealthy eating habits due to stress, with half of these adults indulging in these bad habits weekly.
It can be easy after a long and tiring day to grab fast food on the way home or to open a bag of chips and a soda – after all, who wants to cook at the end of a hectic day? Poor eating is a tough habit to break, but the solution is not dieting. Dieting involves fads, fasts, and calorie-cutting that lead to the body holding onto fat or the individual breaking the diet due to so much restriction. There is a much better option for optimizing daily food intake.
Spend a week with a food journal. Write down what you have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and if you skip a meal. Write down the unhealthy splurges and be mindful of when these moments of weakness occur. Is it at the peak of stress? Due to exhaustion? Maybe eating a box of donuts has become your reward system for a hard day’s work.
Once you have identified the unhealthy foods you reach for and the triggers that lead to splurging, begin replacing these treats with healthier alternatives – but don’t completely deprive yourself. If eating fast food and takeout has become a three-times-weekly ritual, try cutting it down to once a week. If you find that you reward yourself with food, replace the reward. Maybe instead of that double chocolate milkshake at the end of the week, find a two-hour time frame to relax and watch a movie. It’s important to give ourselves things to look forward to. Being kind to our bodies means choosing healthy rewards to celebrate our accomplishments.
less screen time, more real time
Let’s face it, college students have no choice but to stare at a screen for an ungodly amount of time daily. Nearly every aspect of school has an electronic format now. Assignments, textbooks, emails, schedules, and even some classes have an online or Zoom format. College students spend way too much time looking at their electronics.
Screen time in college may be unavoidable, but students do have control over their screen time outside of school. Stress that comes from spending overtime on electronics is linked to sleep disorders, insulin increase, obesity due to unhealthy eating (full circle, right?), poor posture, decreased vision, the list goes on…
Just like eating, browsing YouTube or bingeing Netflix can feel like the most effortless and enjoyable options at the end of the day. This isn’t to say that students should completely give up electronics in their free time, but they should be more aware of the number of hours spent on them. If you have an hour or two to do something, maybe you could give that time to an alternative activity. What’s a hobby that you haven’t had the chance to take part in for a while? Where are your favorite places to walk? Is there a friend or family member you haven’t spoken with for some time? Be mindful of your free time because life is short and screens are only a reflection of reality.
Final thoughts…
These three tips won’t take away from a busy week; they can easily be integrated with a little bit of effort. Imagine the boost in energy, happiness, and peace that would come from a healthy sleep schedule, balanced eating, and less screen time. Treat your body well and it will reciprocate. Strong mental, emotional, and physical health are achieved through discipline. College is a time of pressure but also growth and excitement. Embrace healthy living and don’t let stress dictate your life.