Stress Management Tips for College Students

As we all know, college is not all about parties and new acquaintances. It is the time when you need to show your best and survive academic and emotional pressure. All the pressure that a student experiences may lead to an elevated level of cortisol, the famous stress hormone. How can students meet all the academic requirements and enjoy their stress-free life? Let’s find answers to this question.

What is stress?

Stress is a response to overwhelming demands, challenges, pressure, threats, and burnouts. In short, when an individual senses any sort of danger, would it be real or imagined, he or she will experience the reaction known as the “fight-or-flight” response.

Moreover, it is possible to differentiate two different forms of stress: chronic and episodic. Chronic stress is way more dangerous than episodic one. At the same time, it is the stress that students are experiencing when they are overloaded with an unbearable amount of information, difficult assignments, and expectations. Chronic stress includes the following symptoms: problems with concentration, anxiety, and depression, sleep problems (insomnia or hypersomnia), skin condition issues (e.g., eczema), memory problems. Furthermore, chronic stress usually leads to the development of heart disease and reproductive issues, let alone apathy, and a low level of energy and well-being.

As a rule, stress is caused by the following life conditions:

• being under a lot of pressure (exam preparation, parents’ expectation, competition with other students);
• facing significant changes;
• worrying about problems and challenges;
• not having control over a situation, impossibility to predict the ultimate result;
• having many overwhelming responsibilities;
• not having enough activities and fun in your life;
• difficulties in personal relationships;
• financial troubles;
• being too busy.

Of course, stress can be positive. Episodic stress can stimulate use to meet an important deadline, finish a project on time, and create important changes in everyday life. Nevertheless, stress usually has mostly harmful effects on a human organism. Luckily, it is possible to diminish the harmful influence of academic pressure on a student’s psychological and physical health.

Top tips to reduce the level of cortisol

1. Positive attitude

Stress is not an external problem but our body’s response. This response is shaped by the negative attitude of our mind towards this problem. It is our mind that perceives the problem as unbearable and overwhelming. Therefore, the first and the most important pillar of stress management is to change one’s assumptions about a problem or life situation that you usually find stressful. Keep a positive attitude towards a situation you find yourself in, no matter how difficult it currently is.

Try not to react while being angry and defensive. Be assertive, not aggressive. Recognize your feelings and beliefs instead of stepping into different harming states. Get rid of such psychological issues as pessimism, negative self-talk, the desire for perfection, rigid thinking. Furthermore, check your beliefs and aspirations on the all-or-nothing attitude. Human desires are endless, so it is wiser to be happy with less. Getting only high marks is tempting but energy-consuming. Sometimes, the knowledge and skills that you obtain are more valued than high marks.

• Relaxation

The second step on your way is learning different relaxation techniques. It is highly recommended to try meditation, yoga, tai-chi, and actors’ techniques to get calm quickly. Listen to relaxing instrumental or classical music.

• Get enough sleep

No matter how many tasks you have at hand, it is highly recommended to get enough sleep in any case. Your body always needs some time to recover from events your life constantly brings you. If you struggle with writing assignment overload, it is better to use essay writing help than write during late nights.

• Exercise regularly

Make exercising your habit. It is proved that a person is better at coping with stress when their body is fit. If you find typical workouts boring, try such sports as CrossFit, kickboxing, Tae Bo, different kinds of dances. The most important is not only to get enough exercise but also to enjoy the activity itself.

• Build a strong social connection

It is quite easier to get rid of stress while being surrounded by friends. Spend enough time with those whose company you appreciate. During stress, loneliness can be overwhelming. If you do not have enough support from your family and friends, seek treatment with a mental health professional. This specialist will provide you with stress management instruments and get rid of not useful and harmful beliefs. It is also quite possible that this specialist will help you with modern biofeedback methods.

• Eat healthy meals

Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is another part of creating a stress-free life. Take time to reconsider and evaluate your diet. To live without stress, your nutrition plan should include the following ingredients: omega-3 (oil or fish), fiber-rich meals, dairy, vegetables (especially avocado), dark chocolate, herbal teas.

• Get some massage

Having a massage is another way to decrease the level of stress in your organism. There are different types of massage to choose from: Thai, hot stone, shiatsu. It is also possible to try out a couple of massage with your partner. In any way, all types of massages will help you on your way to more stable mental health.

• Use coloring albums

Adult coloring book. It was proved that coloring leads to being more mindful and present. As a result, coloring helps to reduce the amount of anxiety and worrying.

• Use aromatherapy

It is not a secret that different aromas influence the way we think and feel. Aromatherapy not only decreases the level of anxiety, but also improves sleep quality and Try out such relaxing essential oils as lavender, patchouli, ylang-ylang, jasmine, vanilla, and sandalwood. You can also use mandarin and lemon oils to cheer up and feel more optimistic.

As you can see, there are many stress management tips that you can use in your battle against worrying and anxiety. No matter how hard your college life is, it is possible to change your attitude and normalize your body’s response to challenging life situations.