The Best Ways To Manage Your Stress

It’s October, which basically means it’s the height of the first semester and you have a ton of work to do and tests to study for. So, chances are, you’re pretty stressed out. While we can’t magically alleviate this stress for you, we can give you a few tips to manage it.

Make a To-Do List

Give yourself a reasonable amount of things to do each day and write them down. By knowing that you have the ability to take control of what’s stressing you out, you’ll be able to ‘see the end’ and finish the job. Oftentimes, when you can visualize what’s left for you to do, it becomes less overwhelming and more achievable. Plus, when each thing is finished, you get to check it off the list, almost serving as a tracker for your stress level (hopefully, it goes down with each completed task).

Distinguish School From Home

With the amount of homework, extracurriculars, and studying that there is to tend to on any given night, it can be difficult to hit pause on your academic life. But, you need to be able to find things to do at home that make you happy, especially when you’re up to your eyeballs in work. Once you reach a good stopping point on an assignment or think you need a break, find an activity that will calm your brain down and make you happy. It’s important to give yourself time away from school in a way where you’re not procrastinating, just hitting ‘reset.’

Tackle It Head-On

If you know the source of your stress, it’s best to tackle it head-on. Put it high on your priority list so that you know it’ll get done, and split it up into chunks. Once you reach a certain milestone, take a break, and then do a little more. This way, you’ll work efficiently, while also making sure your brain stays refreshed. Plus, once you’re done, it should feel like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders!

Accept What You Can’t Change

While a lot of things have the ability to be modified or worked through, there are some things that will suck no matter what. And the key to that—especially if it stresses you out—is to say it’s okay and give yourself something to look forward to. While life isn’t always going to be perfect, you can craft your own light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, it is what it is, and by not worrying about it, you’re doing yourself a favor.

Identify Things That Make It Worse

We know you can’t cut school out of your life and suddenly feel stress-free, but there are certain things that you can remove. If you’ve noticed that your stress is only prolonged by a person, activity, or event, try to mitigate your interaction with it. For example, if a person keeps reminding you that there’s something you need to get done despite having no relation to that work, try to avoid engaging in a conversation on that topic. Or, if you’re a part of a non-essential activity that constantly worries you, try to leave that activity behind.

Using these tips, you’ll hopefully find your stress a little more manageable. Because, if you can’t get rid of it, then you should at least figure out how to lower it. And if you liked this, be sure to check out our other posts below or in the Blog page.