by Academic stress can be overwhelming, especially during exam season. According to the American College Health Association (ACHA), almost half of all U.S. college students are moderately stressed at any given time. Students often feel the need to hide their anxiety from other students and teachers so that they aren’t perceived as “weak” or less intelligent.
However, it’s important to remember that everyone experiences stress from time to time, and you must learn to cope or seek help for it.
Here are a few ways to cope with academic stress.
#1 Take Some Time for Yourself
A great way to cope with academic stress is to take some time for yourself. It’s important that you don’t lose sight of your own needs because you can’t pour from an empty cup.
Taking a walk is a great way to give yourself some time off. It’s also a way you can stay fit and keep your mind sharp.
You might even engage yourself in playing video games for a while. Continuing for too long is not advisable. However, you can always play for 20-30 minutes each day to relieve a bit of stress.
If you’re feeling particularly stressed out, it may be helpful to schedule these things into your calendar so that they’re not lost among all the other stuff going on in your life.
#2 Exercise
A paper published in the International Journal of Exercise Science claims that exercise is a highly effective way to manage stress. In addition to providing you with a physical outlet for the tension you feel, exercise can also help you sleep better. That, in turn, makes it easier to concentrate on your studies.
Exercise also releases endorphins, hormones that make us feel good and improve our moods by increasing the amount of dopamine in our brains. This can be especially helpful if your stress is related to feeling overwhelmed or anxious about schoolwork.
Exercise has been shown time and time again as an effective way for people of all ages and backgrounds to manage their weight. Therefore, if academic stress leads you down the path towards unhealthy eating habits or even more seriously into disordered eating, getting active may be just what you need.
#3 Seek Help
If you are feeling overwhelmed by your academic workload or other stresses, it is important to seek help.
Find a therapist who can help you with your stress or anxiety. You might even reach out to your school counselor.
It’s much easier for clients to schedule appointments with behavioral health professionals these days, mostly because of specialized mental health practice software.
This software helps professionals with electronic medical records, appointment management, and a variety of other day-to-day operations. Thus, you have no reason to think that booking an appointment with a therapist will be difficult and time-consuming.
#4 Spend Time with People You Love
When you’re stressed about school, it can be hard to find the energy or motivation to do much of anything. This is especially true if you’re dealing with academic stress on top of other things like a serious illness, relationship issues, financial problems, or family drama.
However, there are lots of ways that you can boost your mood and feel better during this time. One simple way is by spending time with people you love.
Spend time with family members who care about your well-being (such as your parents). You should also spend time with friends or even your pets. These interactions will surely comfort you and drive away the anxiety you might be dealing with.
It’s also a good idea to spend time with people who are going through a similar ordeal as you. It could be friends or classmates who can share their thoughts with you and help you realize that you’re not alone in this.
Academic stress can be painful in many ways. ACHA reported that over 41%t of college students in the U.S. blame stress for poor academic performance. Unless one has experienced it firsthand, one can’t say what it’s like to be in this situation.
That being said, there’s no reason for you to keep this to yourself because that’s not healthy. Instead, you need to learn how to cope with it healthily.
The coping mechanisms discussed above may seem simple, but they go a long way in helping people deal with academic stress. Therefore, don’t hesitate to give some time to each of these ways and see what works for you best.
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