Late-night study sessions, endless deadlines, and the pressure to “do it all”—sound familiar? For many students, stress can really take over their school experience, but it doesn’t have to. Here are a few things I always tell students about stress management.
First, stress is inevitable! In fact, some degree of stress is needed to meet deadlines. This is called eustress, a good, motivating type of stress that comes up when it’s 8pm and you have an assignment due at 11:59pm. Eustress turns into bad stress when it starts to negatively impact grades and your ability to live life.
Rest
Rest is an essential part of emotional health and stress management. When students take time to get away from their laptop or put the textbooks away, their brains have time to process new information and increase emotional balance. Rest can look like getting a decent night’s sleep or a daytime nap to catch up, but it also involves intentionally taking time away from school and doing something different, whether that’s to have fun with friends, call the parents, or quietly watch your favourite show while snuggled up in your Oodie on the couch.
Take Study Breaks
Human beings are a lot like rechargeable batteries, meaning we can only work at our most productive for so long before needing to recharge. When we push through exhaustion, frustration, or brain fog, we usually see higher stress, less productivity, and poorer performance. The best way to keep your brain and body working at its best is to take short breaks during your study sessions. One version of this is the Pomodoro Technique, which involves studying for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break to stretch, drink some water, have snack, or do a meditation. Something completely different! This helps re-set your brain and significantly improves focus.
Coping Strategies
1. Movement
- Human bodies love to move!! And they especially need it when they spend hours at a time sitting in a lecture hall or at a desk staring at a laptop screen. Get outside for a coffee and a walk, hit the gym, stretch, dance to your favourite song, or shake it out.
2. Breathe
- First, unclench your jaw. It should feel like you’re opening your mouth but keeping your lips closed. Next, drop your tongue off the roof of your mouth and let it rest against your bottom teeth. Take a short breath and feel your shoulders drop away from your ears. Now breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, and breathe out for 6 seconds. Repeat as long as you need until your chest feels a little less tight, your headache feels a little less intense, or you feel a little less overwhelmed.
3. Connect with social supports
- Social support is one of the biggest predictors of how well we make it through a stressful time. Talk to a bestie, call the parents, find your favourite prof at office hours, or speak to a counsellor. Humans aren’t meant to handle a lot of stress on their own and too much can easily turn into more serious mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, or burnout.
Productivity and wellbeing go hand in hand! Don’t forget to take care of yourself while you’re working hard. And if things start to feel like they are too much or too stressful, please don’t hesitate to reach out – let’s chat.
