College Students

College is an exciting time with lots of new challenges, but it’s also a stressful one. With busy schedules and tough deadlines for overwhelming written assignments, lots of students experience constant stress and anxiety that can impact their physical and emotional health. If you feel overloaded with tons of books, classes, and papers, don’t freak out. There are some effective ways to manage the stress that will help you relieve the pressure and bring balance into your life.

Get Organized

Manage your time – make a plan, and stick to it. Create a schedule for all your activities. Make sure you prioritize your activities and leave enough time for studying, social life, hobbies, family and friends, working, and having rest. Be ready that you may require more time for studying than you realize at first, so it’s better to overestimate when it comes to studying hours. And remember that you can always find reliable, professional help with your assignments online, for example, at AffordablePapers.com. In this way, you’ll avoid pulling all-nighters and feel more confident.

Think Positively

Turn negative thinking around because it’s your thoughts that create reality. Train your mind to imagine positive scenarios and try not to engage in negative thoughts. Find time to relax – listen to soothing music, breath consciously, spend time with people you love, meditate.

It’s crucial to take time to be absolutely quiet every day. You may say positive affirmations like, “I am calm and relax. I can cope with any obstacles.” Start meditating with a simple technique like deep breathing, and after that, watch YouTube videos and do guided meditation. You may also repeat a mantra. A good thing about meditation is that you can practice it anywhere and anytime. The good idea is to try aromatherapy. Use such essential oils like lemon, lavender, ylang-ylang, bergamot, or jasmine that can help you improve your emotional and physical well-being and lower stress level.


Take Care of Your Body

That’s simple – you should eat right and get enough sleep. Many college students find it hard to get enough sleep due to busy schedules, but sleep deprivation may increase your stress level and can lead to serious health issues like obesity, diabetes, or depression. You need from 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day to stay healthy. If you have to stay up late or need to get up early, you can take power naps of 30 minutes during a day.

While an unhealthy diet can increase your stress levels by decreasing energy levels in the body, eating right can make a huge impact on reducing stress and boosting your positive thinking. Healthy food will equip you with the nutrition your body needs to fight stress. Therefore, you should avoid junk food, alcohol, energy drinks and follow a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein. Make sure your diet includes such foods as eggs and meat, green leafy vegetables like spinach, nuts, dark chocolate, seeds, blueberries, oatmeal, and avocado that contain chemicals reducing negative effects of stress hormones.

Exercise

Regular exercise can help you combat not only stress but also weight gain. When you exercise, your body gets more oxygen and produces endorphins that act as natural painkillers and improve your mood. That’s why it’s important to incorporate exercise into your daily routine – at least 30 minutes of high-intensity exercise or 50 minutes of light walking. To fit more exercise into your schedule, you should choose activities you enjoy doing. For example, you can take regular walks in the park, do yoga, join a gym, or go swimming.

Try to make your routine interesting and combine muscle-building exercises with different variations of cardio throughout a week. In this way, you will balance your physical or mental reactions to stress.

Find Support

When you go to college, you typically leave your best friends and family behind and adjusting to college can be very difficult. Without emotional support, you may feel lonely or “lost,” and both feelings can be stressful. It’s important to stay connected to your family and friends at home so you should use email, phone, or video chat in messengers to get in touch with them. Besides, you should build a new support circle at college. Find a friend who will gladly listen to you and won’t be judgmental. Get involved in clubs and groups and take advantage of social opportunities to meet a lot of people at the college campus. Who knows maybe some of them will become your life-long friends. The good idea is to look for professional help. You can consult a professional counselor or psychologist. If you feel you can’t handle your stress, you should reach out to your university’s mental health center. 

Follow these easy tips and try to look for the good in every situation even when your life seems to be a complete disaster.