Ways College Students Can Minimize Stress And Anxiety

When students start college, their lives change greatly. They need to make new friends and manage household chores in their independent lives. But what is more important—their studies at college differ a lot from those at high school. No wonder that many college students suffer from stress and anxiety. According to the recent AP survey, 20% of college students say they feel stressed most of the time. The data proves the seriousness of the problem.

Thus, we’ve decided to examine the causes of the adverse situation and offer ways to minimize stress and anxiety in college.

Sources of Students’ Stress and Anxiety

Stress isn’t always something bad; in many cases, it helps mobilize and successfully settle the problem. But our body often reacts to it differently, causing several unpleasant symptoms, like fatigue, headaches, irritability, impaired concentration, or changes in eating and sleeping habits, to mention a few.

Anxiety is a feeling of worrying and uneasiness caused by stress or other reasons, and it’s considered a mental disorder. What are the reasons for stress and anxiety in the lives of college students? First of all, it’s the necessity to handle complex academic tasks within tight deadlines. It often makes students use services like do my paper by native authors to maintain good performance. But there may be other not-so-obvious causes; let’s consider them below.

• Students start living on their own, and it takes a lot of time and effort. They have to live on the campus or rent a room that is very different from home. That adjustment to the new way of life can be very stressful.
• Problems with relations. Students might experience difficulties with making new friends. Moreover, those new friendships might be toxic. If relations of any kind aren’t successful, this can cause stress as well.
• Heavy course load. Students often find it hard to meet the new requirements. They might get especially stressed before and during tests. Educators and psychologists speak about ways to overcome test anxiety in college.
• Uncertainty about the future. College students often need to pay back their loans, so they get stressed because of feeling uncertain about finding a well-paid job.

Ways of Minimizing Stress and Anxiety

If you have unpleasant symptoms caused by stress, ignoring them is a bad idea. There are ways to minimize stress and anxiety, and the first thing you need to do is to find out what causes the stress you are suffering from. The recommendations on fighting stress will depend on its cause. But several pieces of advice will help eliminate the stress of any origin.

• Get enough sleep. Doctors recommend sleeping 7-9 hours per day and going to bed before midnight. Good night’s sleep boosts your immune system and improves cognitive function and memory. So, college students need to establish healthy sleeping habits. It’s necessary to go to bed at a fixed time and to avoid distractions like too much social media, computer games, or videos.
• Be physically active. During physical activity, our body produces endorphins. These hormones reduce stress. If you aren’t sporty, try yoga or simply walking a lot or going around by bike.
• Eat healthily. It’s very important to have a balanced diet. You should avoid drinking too much coffee or energetic drinks, replacing them with water. A student’s schedule is very hectic, so it’s recommended that you have some healthy snacks with

There are also some specific recommendations on the ways of minimizing stress and anxiety based on their source.

• To fight homesickness, keep in touch with your family members. It’s also recommended to have some memorabilia from home, like photos, toys, or decorations. It’s important to remember that a mess in your room will add to your stress. It’s also necessary to plan your chores well.
• To avoid stressful situations in different relations, you should value yourself as a personality. So, stop relations if they start to get toxic. If you feel lonely and can’t make new friends, you shouldn’t avoid people. Instead, you need to communicate as much as possible. Give a helping hand if necessary, smile, and start small talks, and this might become a friendship’s start. If your boyfriend/girlfriend has broken up with you, whatever hard it is, you need to move ahead.
• To lessen the stress caused by the heavy course load, you should develop good studying skills. To meet deadlines, do good planning and study regularly. While studying, avoid distractions like social media. To deal with test anxiety, use some relaxation techniques like meditation. Get well prepared and take a mock test if possible. Avoid being late for the test, as this will only increase your anxiety.
• To avoid stress caused by uncertainty about the future, try to avoid thinking negatively. Enjoy your graduation and just be persistent in finding a job. By the way, having an internship while at college might help a lot in the job search.

The Bottom Line

Though college students might suffer from stress and anxiety, their negative impact can be minimized. Remember that the problem shouldn’t be ignored, and if you are the one who faces it, you should take measures to reduce stress and anxiety. In severe cases, it’s necessary to address professionals for help.