How to Manage Stress at School

Stress is a common problem that affects people of all ages, including students. Stress affects student's overall well-being, academic performance, and mental health. Stress management is therefore a crucial aspect in students' academic life. This blog post is focused on providing helpful tips on how to manage stress levels at school so as to lead healthier lives as students. 

1. Get enough sleep

Establish a sleep routine, and get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. It will help you relax your mind and body, concentrate better, and adapt to stressful situations.

2. Wake early

Rising up at 5am can help you become proactive with arranging your schedule for the new day, revising notes to prepare for impromptu tests which are expected of some lecturers, etc. This prevents from being reactive to the busy and chaotic new day caused by sleeping in.

3. Exercise

Take time to exercise, whether running, biking, or walking. Exercise releases endorphins, which will help you feel more relaxed and energized. Exercise also improves cognitive performance and focus through the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is responsible for neurogenesis.

4. Create a schedule

Manage your time by creating a schedule for study, meals, breaks, and relaxation time. Create a to-do list, and prioritize tasks based on their importance and deadline. This will help you focus on the most important tasks, reduce procrastination, and prevent overwhelming your mind. Always schedule and start your study earlier, not late towards examination period to prevent reading under stress.

5. Eat well

Maintain a healthy and balanced diet, eat well. Avoid sugary, caffeine or unhealthy snacks that can impair your ability to focus.

6. Take breaks

 Taking regular breaks helps to refresh your mind, and reduces fatigue and stress from studying. Whether it’s taking a 10-15 minute walk or engaging in a favorite hobby, it will give your mind a chance to recharge, which makes it easier to assimilate faster any concept you have been trying hard to understand before. You can also practice other relaxation activities such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga which can help alleviate stress and promote relaxation.

7. Minimize your use of social media during study

Have you experienced studying for like 5 minutes, then you used your phone for like 1 hour without knowing it. Thereafter, when you realized yourself and decided to start reading again, you discovered you've lost your desire to continue reading? Using social media when reading, and other forms of distractions makes study sessions longer and derive up the stress level.

8. Study at your pace

Read at your own pace and avoid comparing yourself with others. Starting with just 2-minute study sessions can create a habit of studying and reduce the perception of studying being difficult. You can then increase the study time subsequently. Always find out the study pattern that works best for you and then follow that pattern. 

9. Be positive

Maintain a positive attitude, even in difficult situations. Practice positive self-talk and visualize good outcomes. This will help reduce stress levels and increase confidence. You can try the mantras: "School is fun", "I'm intelligent and I'll get good grades this semester", etc.

10. Seek assistance

If stress becomes too overwhelming, seek assistance, whether from a school counselor, support groups or talking to family and friends.

Thanks for reading this blog post, and I hope you did derive great value from it. Also, in this school series, we have the following amazing and helpful topics you can check out:

How to Study Effectively and Achieve Excellent Grades in School

How To Register Your Courses on University Of Port Harcourt e-Campus Website Using Your Phone

You can also check out other amazing series in this blog:

Relationship Series

School Series

Success Series

Career Series

Lebari-Dick Leteh has the deepest desire to serve, improve, uplift, and enrich people's lives with his books, blog and other works. He is the author of 'Truths About Talent' and 'The Good News'. 

      For any questions and suggestions, you can contact him via his email: letehdick@gmail.com