This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SCU chapter.
Do you get stressed easily like I do? Here are the ten ways that I use to deal with my stress:
- Address your stress. Sometimes in the middle of a hectic week or an especially chaotic day, carrying around stress is something we do almost subconsciously. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a step back – what is it that is making you stressed? Identifying your stressors is the first step to actually dealing with them.
- Put things in perspective. Is whatever it is that’s stressing you out as bad as it seems to be? Remind yourself of your successes – did you do well on your last midterm in the class? Have you made it through busier or tougher weeks?
- Make a list of things you need to do. If it feels like there’s an endless amount of things you need to get done, write them all down. What do you need to do, and by when? Try and avoid making a schedule for yourself – it’s easy to become even more stressed if you realize you haven’t allotted yourself an appropriate amount of time for that Spanish assignment, or you’re moving slower through the Econ homework than you thought you would.
- Take some time to yourself. Working effectively when you’re stressed out is almost impossible. Walk across campus, watch a quick show on Netflix, or make yourself a cup of tea. It might feel like you have no time for anything else but schoolwork, but taking those extra couple of minutes to yourself will only make it easier on you in the long run.
- Clean your room/apartment/house. Even if you’re not exactly a clean freak, sometimes when it feels like life is messy – socially, academically, or just in general – cleaning the places you spend the most time can be therapeutic. Make your bed, clean out your shelf in the fridge, or do some laundry. It might help you organize your thoughts, too.
- Meditate. Sometimes even just taking one deep breath can help you release stress. If you’re not into the whole meditation thing, try sitting up straight and taking a couple deep breaths. In trying to relax, you’ll be able to let go of some of the physical tension that comes with being stressed.
- Don’t put ‘it’ off. Whatever ‘it’ is – studying for a midterm, an overdue assignment, it’s gotta get done eventually. Sometimes in the middle of a particularly busy week, it’s easy to put something off and then let yourself get stressed about it. There’s no time like the present. It is what it is – just get it done as soon as you can.
- Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you’re one of those people who stresses themselves out about everything all at once, try to realize that you’re probably doing the best you can. That’s all you can ask of yourself. Whatever’s stressing you out – school, friends, family, work – try and ride the wave and remember that whatever happens, you can handle it. Don’t put that extra pressure on yourself.
- Vent. Sometimes just talking for a straight 5 or 10 minutes about what’s stressing you out is the best medicine. Call a parent, a best friend, or – don’t judge me – just say what you’re thinking out loud (talking to yourself might seem crazy, but honestly, whatever. Sometimes it’s helpful). If you do vent to someone else, they might have some helpful advice, too.
- Eat, drink water, skip the caffeine. Even though you may not be in the mood, keeping yourself hydrated and eating when you’re hungry (or at least eating at respective meal times, even if you don’t necessarily feel hungry) will help your stress. It’s all about self-care. Another thing – if you can swing it, skip the caffeine. It might help you stay up later, but it can also make you jittery and stress you out even more.