Making your money stretch until your next student loan check arrives, being away from home for the first time and having to make what feel like life altering decisions about your future career, there’s no doubt that college can be stressful. Students often turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as alcohol, but there are plenty of better ways to relieve your stress, including the suggestions below.
Take Advantage of Campus Resources
Colleges are sensitive to the mental health challenges that their students face and often have many different types of resources to help with stress relief even if what you’re dealing with doesn’t rise to the level of clinical depression or anxiety. You can review a guide on mental health in higher education and the importance of helping students in this area. If you feel like you need to talk to someone, your school probably has some counselors on staff and may even offer telehealth options.
This can be a great way for you to check in and sometimes even get treatment from the convenience of your own home or dorm room. Find out what other resources your school offers as well. This could include options like peer counseling as well as resources that can help you with things like improving your study skills and managing your time better, both of which can lead to stress reduction.
Affirmations and Visualizations
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that either of these things are just feel good, ineffectual non-solutions. Many people struggle with negative self-talk, and affirmations can really turn that around. If you don’t like the idea of affirmations, think of it as talking to yourself kindly as you would to a friend. You may be surprised to notice how often your inner voice is much harsher and more judgmental than you would be to someone you know and like. Visualizations can work by helping you separate yourself somewhat from whatever is stressing you out in the present or by prepping you to deal with a nerve-wracking situation, like doing a presentation. Visualizations can be a way of faking it till you make it, allowing you to project confidence even when you don’t necessarily feel it.
Healthy Living
Healthy living and college students are not words that always go together. While there are plenty of college students out there who are committed to a healthy lifestyle, the stereotype of student lifestyles is lots of cheap takeout food, late nights and partying. A moderation in everything approach might help you navigate between these two extremes. You probably don’t want to say no to pizza every single time someone’s putting in an order, but you can balance it with nutritious choices the rest of the time.
Getting enough sleep can be really critical for stress reduction and your overall performance, but it can also be tough to do. Naps are great ways to refresh yourself if you’re struggling to get enough sleep at night. Regular exercise offers many benefits as well, and they are not all physical. It can be a great stress reliever, and if it involves something social, it’s also a great way for you to make new friends.
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