Lesson 5: Coping with Stress, Midterms and Exams
Getting rid of stress!
To get rid of stress you sometimes have to adjust your lifestyle; as described in the previous section it is important to identify where the problem is coming from. There are many different ways to deal with stress, but the simplest thing you can do to release your stress is to simply laugh. Humor relaxes you and laughing lowers blood pressure and hypertension. It reduces stress hormones and cleans out the lungs from stale air. It also boosts your immune system and gives you an overall feeling of wellbeing.
You need to schedule in time for yourself just as much as you need to schedule in study time. Without getting some rest you cannot study anyways! Start with a good nights sleep. A large percentage of college students have at some point pulled an all nighter, but with good planning you can be one of those students who never have to. A good night’s sleep is absolutely crucial do doing well; while you sleep your brain processes the information you were just trying to cram in it. There is no point staying up all night and fall asleep during your exam. Your you-time is just as important as time with friends. For some people being alone is hell, but everyone needs a little bit of peace and quiet from time to time. Try and establish a ritual before you go to bed, where you do something you find relaxing. Whether that is taking a nice long shower or reading a book. Try and stay away from activities that require a lot of focus, like videogames, if you are having an academically tough week. If you overload your brain at some point there will be only so much it can take.
Sports are a great way to relax, and going to the gym or participating in an intramural team is a healthy was to get rid of stress. You can literally ‘slam’ it out of you! Try and stay committed to exercise, even during busy times, because there is no better way to avert your mind and energize your body. By staying fit you also avoid health problems related to people who work in a mainly sitting position, and of course you avoid the freshmen weight gain!
When the weather is nice outside, try reading your textbook in the shadow of a tree. The fresh air will do you good and you get a change of scenery. Do not always study in the exact same place, it is a good thing to move around and change your surroundings. Also avoid tight small spaces (like some dorm rooms are!), the more space you have around you the better you will feel. If you live close enough to your college don’t take a car of a bus, rather walk or bike to your classes whenever weather permits it. You have your commute and daily exercise in one! If you live really close by it’s not much of a real exercise, however being out in the air is still wholesome. Even when it gets cold, just wrap yourself up, and get out there if it is safe enough (don’t slide down the road on your ultra speedy tires when there is a thick layer of ice on the streets)!
There are a lot of little things you can do on a day to day basis to avoid high stress levels. Some are described above, but this lesson is also meant to spark your mind; what makes you relax? Discuss it on the discussion board! It is important to stay grounded; keep in touch with friends and your family. Do not let exams get in the way until people get worried and think you are missing. A five minute phone call to catch up with a friend or your parents is not going to make or break the next day’s test. In fact; you can use the support! Do it on your study break, and you will feel so much better when you get back to work. Studying is somewhat like a diet; if you restrict yourself from everything that is important in your life and live like a prisoner your body and mind will crave these simply things. You cannot constantly be in overdrive. It is simply not humanly possible.
If stress is caused by high expectations and academically you are just not managing to perform, look at yourself and reconsider your goals. Do you really need straight A’s all the time? No. in the end no matter what career you choose a lot of other things besides grades will come into play. Future employers, or even graduate schools, are very interested in your relevant experience and extra curricular activities and involvements. If things are really not going well, do not insist on one particular program; you’ve tried. Now it might be time to go and see if there is something related out there that you can be very passionate about as well.
Also consider if you are choosing your current program of study because it is your passion, or if you were pushed into it by parents or friends. It’s your life; do what you love and you will do better. Doing something you actually do not like can be a major stress factor, and finally making that step to something else can bring more relief than you can now imagine. There is no need to fear for rejection or acceptance; it’s common for undergraduate students to switch programs three or four times. A large issue is usually family acceptance; but your parents love you, as soon as they understand how you really feel they will support you. They do want the best for you, so remind them of that if they are distraught at first, and compromise.
