It's that time of year when you are stressed beyond belief and it seems that you will never catch a break; something is always due or you are studying for something. How can you feel less stressed and perform better academically? Don't let your day control you; plan out what you have to do in advance so you can get a better idea of how you need to utilize your time. If you know that you have meetings all night, use the library and get work done in between classes.
How many times have you gotten on Facebook or Twitter instead of doing your paper, assignment, or studying? I am sure this has happened to you at some point in your college career. It is easy to jump on these social media sites and procrastinate. How many times have you left Facebook up while you're working and then people pop up and want to talk? This obviously leaves you distracted and unable to concentrate on your work. Maybe during busy weeks you could deactivate or have someone change your password to these sites in order to minimize your time on them. You could also change your settings so you do not get email or phone notifications. When getting on these sites a quick check can turn into hours. Next time check the clock and make sure you are only spending five or ten minutes on them.
Be sure to take breaks when studying or doing work: going on a walk or taking a trip to the gym can actually improve your academic performance. When you exercise, you release hormones that help reduce stress and enhance memory. When you've been working on a paper, have you ever hit writer's block and not been able to figure out what to write next? Well next time, take a 5 minute walk around the library or on Brock Commons, this is easy to do and can help you come back refreshed and ready to work.
Tips on reducing stress:
1. Control your time, don't let time control you.
2. Utilize the library: The hours are 7:30am to 12:00am
3. Limit use on social media sites
4. Prioritize your activities and events, you don't have to go to everything all the time, you are allowed to miss things every once in a while.
5. Take a break! Head to the gym or take a walk down Brock Commons.
6. Talk to your professors, they are there to help you.
7. Don't wait until the last minute, start studying and doing assignments ahead of time, so if you need help you can ask.
8. Remove distractions when doing assignments or studying. (Turning off your phone, getting off the internet, talking to people at the library, etc.)
9. Don't stress the small things, things are what they are, and you can't change them so there is no use in stressing over things that you cannot change.
10. Make your health a priority, don't forget to sleep and eat a balanced diet, you being sick will not help your stress level.
