Stress is part of us. We even need it sometimes. If someone attacks you, stress is what makes you react. But, it’s not natural for us to feel stressed 24/7. It’s extremely important for every one to understand how to deal with stress.
Now, let’s get one thing out of the way: there’s no way to eliminate stress from your life.
The only thing we can do is reduce it to minimal levels, so we can continue living our lives without being under constant pressure.
10 practical tips that help you to find your way on how to deal with stress:
Plan Everything!
Robert Epstein, psychologist and self-help author, conducted a survey that showed planning was an effective technique for preventing stress.
When you take few minutes of your day to plan how you’ll spend it, you’ll feel ready for the challenges.
When you have a plan, you understand how to deal with the stress and that there’s enough time for everything.
Make Priorities
Okay, sometimes you won’t be able to fit everything in that schedule. When you notice you’re pushing yourself beyond your limits, it’s time to step back. If you attempt to achieve anything beyond what your capacity allows, you’ll have to sacrifice some of your priorities… That means you’ll be feeling guilty, and that can mean only one thing: stress.
Always Find Space for Social Time
When you realize you have to sacrifice some of the things you like for the sake of studying, your social life is the first aspect to suffer the consequences. Sometimes that’s necessary.
You need an outlet. Otherwise, you’ll accumulate more stress than you’re able to cope with. Go dancing, meet new people, have walks… just be around people you like. They help you heal.
Get Help When You Don’t know How to Deal With Stress
Most college students are going through similar levels of stress.
If you’re struggling with an important research paper, maybe a friend can help and you’ll return the favor? Okay, it’s not easy to find a friend willing to write you a paper. Maybe you can ask the professor to clarify the assignment? Maybe you can hire a writer to help? Help is available; you should only know where to find it. Instead of being stressed about your schedule being too full, think: can you get help with some of the tasks?
Get a Massage
Yes, it’s a serious and practical tip. When you have a busy week, get a massage over the weekend. Being tense reflects on your muscles. Do you notice how your posture is bended forward and your muscles feel stiff when you’re constantly worrying about something? That’s how stress affects your body. When you address those effects, you might reduce the psychological tension, too.
Learn How to Breathe
When you start paying attention, however, you’ll notice how your breathing changes when you’re feeling stressed. When you’re relaxed, when you know how to deal with stress, you tend to breathe slowly and deeply. When stressed, however, your breath becomes short and shallow. At some moments, you might even catch yourself not breathing.
Try some breathing exercises and you’ll instantly notice a difference. When you’re able to control your breath, you’re practically changing your body’s reaction to stress.
Focus on Yourself
Take some me time? It’s not about being selfish. It’s about respecting yourself.
Reserve at least 20 minutes of your day to focus on yourself. Get deep into your thoughts and feelings. Recognize the moments that caused stress and anxiety. When you figure out what the reasons, you’ll be more aware of your reactions.
Exercise!
Why do you need physical activity in your life? It pumps up your endorphins. Those are the neurotransmitters that make you feel good.
Pick a type of exercise you feel good about and stay committed to it. You need to turn it into a habit.
Talk to Someone You Trust
Sometimes you just need someone to listen to you. It’s not okay to keep everything inside. Do you have a friend you trust? Share your worries and you’ll find support. Your family is there for you, too. If you feel like your problems are too big and you don’t want to make the people around feel bad, talk to a counselor. They might recommend a psychotherapist, who will help you get through the times of difficulty and become strong enough to move forward.
Sleep!
You’re getting less healthy, less efficient in studying, and more and more stressed when you don’t sleep enough.
Adults need around 7-8 hours of sleep for their brain and body to regenerate. Make sure to get that sleep even when you have too much on your schedule.
There’s no point in making peace with stress. If you don’t fight it, it can bring you to a moment when you don’t even recognize yourself. Stress is part of our lives, but it’s also something we can manage. Hopefully, you’ll get stronger when you start following the tips above
Courtesy: Motivation Grid
