The start of a new semester is always very exciting; however, by the second or third week you may begin to feel like you are barely keeping your head above water. Stress is a major part of college, but not all stress is good stress. If you are someone who has trouble managing your stress or if you’re just looking for a new way to cope with your stress, try these helpful tips!
1. Prioritize
Stress can often be caused by feeling overwhelmed. When you’re looking at the mountain of homework on your desk, it’s nearly impossible not to feel stressed out. If you are stressed out by all of the things you need to do, make a to do list. Instead of just writing down everything you to do, write them down by importance and how much time you have for each.
2. Exercise
Aside from the obvious health benefits, exercise can be a great way to burn off stress. Whenever I’m feeling stressed out, I find an hour in the day to go to the gym just to focus my energy elsewhere.
3. Napping
Stress can be caused by any number of things, but exhaustion can increase stress levels. If you aren’t sleeping very well, try taking a short nap to relax.
4. Meditate
While meditation may seem weird at first, it has many positive benefits. Allowing yourself to focus your energy and think about your breathing can help combat stress.
5. Talking to others
Stress can feel all-encompassing when you try to handle it alone. If you’re feeling overly stressed, don’t be afraid to reach out to those around you.
Have a great semester! HCXO