School oftentimes becomes the primary source of stress for students at any age. There are assignments, projects, quizzes and exams that have to be balanced with clubs and other extracurriculars, all while maintaining a social life and making time for yourself; that sure sounds stressful. But what exactly is stress?
According to the WHO, stress is a state of worry or mental tension caused by difficult situations. Sounds familiar? It’s actually a pretty normal and human response that helps us to address challenges in life. A little stress can even be beneficial, however, too much of it and the ways we try to manage it can affect us in major ways. You know you’re feeling stressed when you become irritable, have trouble sleeping or find it difficult to concentrate. Other possible signs of stress include feeling quick to anger, changes in appetite, headaches and/or stomach-aches, and feeling anxious.
It’s therefore very important that you learn how to manage your stress levels. We have compiled our top 5 coping strategies for stress in academia.
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Time Management Skills
Let’s be honest, one of the primary sources of stress for students is poor time management skills. So many problems could be solved if students knew how to effectively manage their schedules and make use of their time in meaningful ways. Poor time management results in tasks taking much longer than predicted (which can result in missed deadlines), missed opportunities, reduced work-life balance and of course feelings of being overwhelmed and anxious. You can combat this by keeping track of your time to schedule effectively and plan ahead. This van be done using time tracking software or tools such as the Student Productivity Planner. This is a great tool to keep track of all your tasks, help with time management, goal setting and the development of productivity habits.
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Effective Study Techniques
Students experience the most stress during the exam periods, with great reason. Suddenly, you have months worth of notes to study in one week and feeling overwhelmed and
stressed is almost inevitable under these circumstances. However, developing healthy and effective study techniques goes a long way in reducing the amount of stress you feel heading into the exam period.
One such technique involves reviewing the material over a long period of time rather than cramming the night before the exam. This technique, known as Spaced Practice, allows your mind to make connections between ideas and build on the information you already know so that it is easier to recall it later. Similarly, other effective study techniques are geared towards preventing procrastination and last minute cramming. You can find additional strategies to use when studying here, so it doesn’t feel like you’re starting from scratch every time you have to study for a test or exam.
More Resources
There are many study techniques that you can try to see which one is right for you. We’ve compiled a list of our favourites in this blog post: Which Study Technique is Right for You?
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Seeking Support
Never be afraid to ask for additional support when you need it. This can be in the form of talking to your friends, reaching out to a counsellor or contacting a family member to talk 
things through and gain some insight. Sometimes, just talking about it is enough to relieve some stress and provide some form of relief. Negative self talk is also not an option! Try giving yourself a pep talk to affirm yourself, even if you don’t believe it.
Isolation can also have a negative impact on your mental health. Accepting that you may need help from others is the first step to getting the support that you may need to manage your stress levels. Our next coping strategy can also be done with the help of someone you trust!
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Engage in Relaxing Activities
One sure way to manage your stress is to make time for activities that will relax you. That could be listening to music, spending time with friends, meditation, taking a walk or even playing a sport. Sometimes, it’s all about convincing your mind and body that you are not in danger. What’s important is that you engage in an activity that makes you feel happy, recharges you and remotivates you to complete your tasks. Learning and practicing relaxation techniques are great for coping with stress.
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Get Enough Sleep
Last, but certainly not least, getting enough rest is crucial in maintaining stress levels. Stress can drastically affect your ability to sleep and at the same time, lack of sleep may result in severe stress. It’s a vicious cycle to be caught in! Better sleeping habits can help including:
- Developing a sleep schedule
- Avoiding caffeine close to bedtime
- Removing electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime
Remember, no one can function at 100% when they’re tired, no matter how badly you want to.
End of term exams are upon us but being stressed about it doesn’t have to be your reality. In the world of academia, no matter what level, stress is inevitable, but you can manage stress in a way that makes all the difference in your wellbeing as well as your academic performance. Try these coping strategies to develop healthy habits that not only help you manage stress but also prevent feelings of stress in the first place!
References
- Czerwonka, E. (2023, July 18). Poor Time Management. Buddy Punch. https://buddypunch.com/blog/poor-time-management/#:~:text=Poor%20time%20management%20refers%20to,that%20maximizes%20productivity%20and%20results.
- NHS. (2023, March 14). Student Stress. NHS choices. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/help-for-teenagers-young-adults-and-students/student-stress-self-help-tips/#:~:text=Try%20to%20have%20a%20healthy,your%20stress%20levels%20and%20wellbeing.
- Reynolds, P. (2023, August 28). Managing stress in high school. Harvard Summer School. https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/managing-stress-in-high-school/