Academic life can be very stressful. Whether you’re in high school or college, stress could ultimately take over your days. It can become a normal part of life, but we have to stop and think: is stress really normal?
The Cleveland Clinic says, “Coping involves adjusting to unusual demands, or stressors, and thus requires the mobilization of greater effort and the use of greater energy than is required by the daily routines of life.” Learning healthy ways to cope with stress is essential for survival. In order to shake away those unnecessary headaches, here are six healthy ways to cope with stress:
- Take control of the emotional aspect
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Take responsibility for what you can and can’t control. You can be a bit less hopeful, as a healthy dose of pessimism could lower the expectations of the stress trigger. You can also ask for help, or distance yourself from the source of stress for a while. By distancing yourself from these anxiety triggers, you can examine your values regardless of the way you’ve coped in the past. Make your actions reflect your beliefs.
More importantly, put your mental health first. You can’t deal with the world if you can’t deal with yourself; so breathe and believe in yourself. You can also set work-life boundaries in order to schedule some quality time with yourself and take a much needed breather.
- Maintain a healthy schedule
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There are so many ways to achieve this one. You can start with keeping a consistent sleeping schedule, like sleeping at least 6 hours every night. A healthy sleep schedule is key for you to maintain other healthy habits.
Diet and exercise are also essential. You have to make sure you’re eating three meals a day and exercising on a regular basis. Your body speaks! Pay attention to it. After strenuous work, your body will plead you for a break through annoying headaches or body soreness. Making a schedule will help you take notice of what’s wrong and right for you. You will get used to being healthy.
- Find a creative outlet
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If you already have these two aspects down, you can move onto the fun part: finding a creative outlet. In Taylyn Washington-Harmon says in “How to Relieve Stress, According to Experts” that, “making a list of things you’re grateful for, playing with a pet, and meditating” are a variety of methods to relieve stress nearly instantly. Light exercising, dancing, singing, playing an instrument, painting, or whichever activity drives your passion can also help you let go of stress.
- Become aware of your surroundings
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If creativity doesn’t suit you that much, then maybe you could engage with your surroundings. You can organize and clean up your room, light up a candle in your favorite place, or listen to music. A change of scenery and mood could be very necessary for a brief detox; for instance, just driving to the pharmacy next door can be just right to take your mind off of the stress.
Being genuinely present in the moment and forgetting about your phone and the news can really help out. It’s just you in the environment while you breathe some fresh air. Appreciating what’s around you, be it nature, animals, the trees, flowers, sunsets, the moon and the stars, can ground you into reality.
- Ask for help
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Now, if you’ve tried to balance yourself and engage in a moment with your surroundings, but you still feel anxious, then it’s time to ask for help.
Going to therapy is a professional walkthrough of your life’s issues from a third person’s point of view. If going to a mental health professional is a bit over budget, then go to someone you trust. Talk it out! Better out than in, right?
Once you let out all of your worries, you will feel relief. Also, there are many people that are going through similar battles, so communicating your feelings enhances empathy and makes us realize that we are not alone. Remember, asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. It will change you for the better.
- Don’t procrastinate
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Once you have achieved calmness and a steady mind, take advantage of it! Do not procrastinate. It’s unfortunate to have a lot of work, but if you ignore it, it will just pile up. The only way to have less work is to do it. I’m not suggesting you do it all at once, but progress is progress. It doesn’t matter how small or how big the progress is, what matters is to move forward. Doing a little bit every day is a big advancement. Remember what Eliot Spitzer said: “Delay is the enemy of progress,” so once you are chill, get things done.
Like I said, academic life can be very stressful, especially when the semester is ending and everything seems to pile up. Remember to prioritize your mental health, especially during these quarantine times, since it’s become harder to keep clear boundaries between study time and regular day-to-day life. Don’t be afraid to take a break if you have to. Find a creative outlet so you can release all the pent up negative energy. Most importantly, you can and will get through this. It’s only temporary.