The 4 Most Important Stress Relievers for Students
School got you stressed? We鈥檙e here to help! Check out these four most important stress relievers for students.
Credit: cubrazol/Shutterstock Saying college students are stressed is like pointing out the sky is blue鈥� There鈥檚 a report from The Jed Foundation that says half of all students say they鈥檙e always stressed and a third say they鈥檙e stressed and don鈥檛 know how to fix it1. It probably doesn鈥檛 help that more college students are taking on extra responsibilities outside the classroom. Florida International University says students spend 12 hours a week in class, but 35 hours a week working and 48 hours a week studying2! That鈥檚 a lot of pressure, and college students need to find better ways to cope. Here are four great tips to help kick stress to the curb:
Get Moving
You鈥檙e in a rut 鈥� school, work, home responsibilities, repeat. If you have any free time you鈥檙e probably trying to catch up with friends or catch up on sleep! The Guardian says more students need to make time for regular, weekly exercise3. Getting off the couch and working out produces chemicals called endorphins. They cut back on stress and make you feel calm and happy. It doesn鈥檛 take much either鈥 30-minute walk once a day can be a great stress buster. And how about yoga? Everyday Health says it鈥檚 great for your mind and can help with muscle strength and balance4.
Just Say No
College students have crazy schedules. You鈥檙e trying to balance school work, work-work and having a social life! If you鈥檙e trying to keep everybody happy, you might end up hurting yourself. Campus Calm says more college students need to learn to say no5. Do听your friends听want to go out but you have a paper to write? It鈥檚 ok to tell them you can鈥檛 because you have a ton of homework. It doesn鈥檛 make you a bad person, it means you鈥檙e setting yourself up for success by making sure you get stuff done before you go have fun. That kind of focus can be a great stress reliever.
Manage Your Time
Credit: Alan Uster/Shutterstock Campus Calm also says 66 percent of college students put things off til the last minute6. Procrastination is not the way to cut back on stress. Instead of putting off your work, why not tackle it in a new way? Time management is all about balancing what you have to do with finding the best way to do it. First, make sure you take plenty of breaks鈥t actually helps you get more done if you give your brain a breather. For every 45 minutes of work you do, give yourself 15 minutes to watch tv, take a walk or talk to a friend. You know how hard it is to be productive when you鈥檙e just not feeling it? Try to do your work when you鈥檙e most energized and focused. It鈥檒l help you finish what you鈥檝e got to do faster and with less stress.
Give Yourself an Attitude Adjustment
Credit: Lucky Business/Shutterstock听It鈥檚 way easier to feel good about what you鈥檙e doing if you have the right attitude. The University Health Center at the University of Georgia says use more positive self-talk鈥ust don鈥檛 do it in public (people might look at you funny). If you鈥檝e ever psyched yourself up in your head before a big event or meeting, you already know how! It can help reduce stress by putting things into perspective7. Like instead of saying you’ll never finish your term paper and you鈥檙e probably going to fail the class, tell yourself you鈥檝e got this, and commit yourself to a deadline for finishing the assignment. In many ways, you and your thoughts can be the greatest source of stress in your life. Knowing you can help reduce your own stress is a big stress reliever! Use these techniques to help keep everything in perspective. 1 “Students Who Feel Emotionally Unprepared for College More Likely to Report Poor Academic Performance and Negative College Experience,” The Jed Foundation. October 7, 2015. https://www.jedfoundation.org/press-room/press-releases/first-year-college-experience-release 2 “Surveys show increase in stress among college students,” FIU News. April 7, 2015. https://news.fiu.edu/2015/04/surveys-show-increase-in-stress-among-college-students/869113 “Students: 10 ways to beat stress,” The Guardian. November 6, 2013. 4 “11 Unexpected Health-Promoting Benefits of Yoga,” Everyday Health. February 11, 2015. 5 “5 Time Management Tips to Calm College Student Stress,” Campus Calm. January 2015. 6听“National College Health Assessment Spring 2007,” The American College Health Association. March 2008. 7 “Managing Stress: A Guide for College Students,” University Health Center. April 2014. https://www.uhs.uga.edu/stress/attitude.html
