With course loads, exams, extracurricular activities, jobs, internships, family responsibilities, financial pressures and more, it’s no surprise that college and university students frequently face overwhelming stress. Juggling demanding academic schedules while balancing social lives and self-care makes mental and emotional well-being a constant challenge. The American College Health Association has found that over 50% of students report feeling hopeless, depressed or overwhelmed in the past 12 months. If left unaddressed, prolonged stress seriously affects physical health, cognitive performance, and mental health. It weakens the immune system, disrupts sleep, clouds focus and concentration, and fuels anxiety. With rising demands on time and energy, students urgently need effective strategies for managing pressure and preventing burnout.
This guide outlines 10 stress management techniques that research shows can significantly reduce stress levels and their debilitating effects when practised regularly. From building a strong support network and employing relaxation methods to prioritizing self-care through exercise, nutrition and adequate rest – this toolbox of coping tools equips students with lifelong skills for facing life’s inevitable stresses with resilience and calm. Individuals gain a sense of control over their wellness by making even small changes like daily deep breathing or keeping a clean workspace. Regular use trains both the body and mind to unwind through proven stress-busters. While stress cannot be eliminated, students can minimize its impacts on their health, happiness and academics through dedicated stress relief.
This overview presents a variety of low-effort, high-impact practices to accompany busy schedules seamlessly. By developing a personalized wellness routine tailored to their specific sources of pressure, students can stay focused, motivated and at their mental best, even when juggling many responsibilities. Ultimately, learning to manage stress proactively sets individuals up for tremendous success both in school and beyond.
Table of Contents
Typical Reasons for Stress in Students
Another study found that school and extracurricular activities cause a lot of stress for high school students. This chronic stress can last into college and cause students to lose interest in school and have mental health problems.
Top Student Stressors
Common sources of student stress include:
- School Works
- More Homeworks
- Extracurricular activities
- Modern Social challenges
- Changes (e.g., graduating, moving out, living independently)
- Relationships
- Stress to succeed
- Work
There are many typical reasons why students often experience high levels of stress. Academic responsibilities are a major cause, as keeping up with a heavy course load, preparing for exams, completing assignments, projects and papers by strict deadlines can feel overwhelming. The pressure to achieve good grades and test scores adds additional academic pressure. Social and extracurricular activities can also be demanding, as students try to get involved on campus through clubs, sports, volunteering or part-time jobs while managing schoolwork. Financial stresses are common, such as worrying about college tuition costs and student loan debt. Emotional factors like leaving home for the first time to attend university in a new place can induce anxiety and homesickness.
Additionally, many students face personal issues like relationships problems, health concerns for themselves or family members, or uncertainty about career paths following graduation. All of these common college stressors, both academic and non-academic, frequently pile on top of each other, leaving students feeling burnout if they do not learn healthy coping mechanisms.
10 Ways for Students to Deal with Stress
Here are 10 ways for students to deal with their stress. These choices are easy, fast, and applicable to a student’s life and stress.
1. Get Enough Sleep
Experts recommend getting 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep per night, but the average student gets much less. Make sleep a non-negotiable priority by powering down electronics at least 30 minutes before your set bedtime. Having a wind-down routine like reading or a warm bath helps signal your body that it’s time to rest. Keep your room calm, dark and quiet. Invest in blackout curtains if outside light disturbs you.
Establish a regular sleep-wake schedule, even on weekends, to help regulate your circadian rhythm. Avoid sugary or fatty foods, caffeine and alcohol before bed, which can disrupt sleep. Practice relaxation techniques like gentle yoga stretches or deep breathing if your mind is racing. Proper sleep fueling your brain and body will improve your ability to handle stress the next day.
2. Eat a Healthy Diet
It’s easy to rely on processed convenience foods when juggling classes and assignments. However, fueling your body with nutritious whole foods provides lasting energy and supports physical and mental well-being. Prep meals and snacks on Sundays so you have grab-and-go options all week. Load up on antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables which are low in calories and high in nutrients.
Don’t skip breakfast, which prevents blood sugar crashes that exacerbate stress. Pack protein-rich foods like nuts, yoghurt, eggs or sliced chicken for staying power between meals. Stay hydrated by sipping on a water bottle throughout the day rather than waiting until you feel thirsty. Fueling your brain with balanced, minimally processed foods nourishes you for campus challenges.
Here are some ways to help students make healthy choices:
- Eating regularly and on time
- Taking a bottle of water to school/classes
- Having healthy snacks on hand, like fruits and nuts,
- Limiting coffee, cigarettes, and alcohol
3. Exercise Regularly
When exams are looming, it’s tempting to hit the books non-stop, but regular physical activity leads to a sharper mind and better retaining of information. Squeeze in quick 15-30 minute exercise sessions whenever possible by walking outside while listening to educational podcasts. If outdoor space is limited, search YouTube for yoga flows or exercise videos you can follow in your room.
Strength training just twice weekly lifts mood and protects muscle mass during sedentary study periods. After a stressful afternoon at the library, swim laps or shoot hoops with friends to burn off tension. Keep active at your convenience to boost both physical and emotional health as a student.
4. Take Calming Breaths
Deep breathing is scientifically proven to counteract the body’s stress response. Find a quiet spot to close your eyes and fully focus inward. Inhale through your nose for 5 seconds, feeling your belly rise, hold for 3 seconds, then exhale slowly through pursed lips for 7 seconds. Repeat for 5-10 minutes when worries crowd your thoughts.
Controlled breathing triggers your parasympathetic nervous system, which induces relaxation compared to mental and physical tension. Make breathwork easy to fit into study breaks by practising anywhere, anytime as a simple yet effective stress relief tool.
5. Listen to Music
Music is a versatile mood and mind enhancer that fits easily into any schedule. Explore different genres to uncover sounds that uplift your emotions and mentally energize you for tasks. Curate upbeat playlists 2-4 hours long to power through assignments with positive energy.
Load calming classical, nature or lo-fi songs for zoning out before bed. Immerse yourself in melodies using headphones while completing chores, relaxing outdoors or staying focused in noisy spaces. Give headphones to a friend experiencing high anxiety as a caring gesture. Discover how playlists tailored to your needs can shift your mindset from stressed to revived.
6. Build Your Support Network
People who care about you emotionally can help you build a barrier against stress. Students can also sometimes feel anxious because of their relationships with other people. Changes in friendships, the end of relationships, and significant life changes like moving away from college can cause stress and upheaval for students.
One way to stop feeling lonely and ensure you have people to lean on when you need them is to grow your support network and keep the relationships you already have strong.
Look for ways to meet new people, like joining a study group or doing other academic, social, or fun things with other people.
Keep in mind that different kinds of relationships provide various types of support. Your relationships with teachers, counselors, and mentors can be a great source of information and resources that may help you in school. Friendships can help people in both emotional and practical ways.
7. Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is another great way for students to deal with stress. It can be used during tests, before bed, or any other time when stress makes you tense.
In this method, you tense and relax all your muscles until your whole body is completely calm. You can learn to get rid of stress in your body in seconds with practice, and this can help students very much because it can help them relax before sleep so they can sleep better.
Once a person knows how to use PMR well, it can be a quick and easy way to calm down in any stressful situation, such as when they are feeling panicked before a speech or exam, having a fight with their roommate, or getting ready to talk to their academic advisor about a problem.
8. Use Guided Imagery
Guided imagery is a powerful relaxation technique that uses the mind’s incredible ability to envision vivid scenarios. Students can mentally escape to any peaceful setting when stress levels spike through guided imagery practice.
To relieve physical tension, close your eyes and inhale deeply. Next, visualize every detail of a calm environment: hear birds singing as you walk through a green forest or feel the warm sand under your toes on an isolated beach.
Transport all your senses to immerse yourself in that setting fully. Picture crisp details like the ocean waves breaking in the distance or sunlight filtering through tree leaves above. At the same time, focus on how your muscles feel loose and heavy, your breathing slow and steady. Add more decadent layers to your visualization for 10-15 minutes daily to shift your thoughts from worries to a mentally rejuvenating place. This active form of relaxation positively engages the mind. With regular guided imagery, students can regain a sense of calm and clarity, even during the most stressful times. They learn to tap into their innate ability to remove themselves from pressure mentally.
9. Keep your room clean
Creating and maintaining a neat, organized living space is extremely important for students to feel in control and relaxed rather than stressed. However, clutter can be too easy to accumulate as deadlines mount. Dedicating 30 minutes each weekend morning for a thorough cleaning session prevents this.
Clear every surface, like the desk, dresser and nightstand, of belongings no longer needed to establish an uncluttered, minimalist environment conducive to focus. Make the bed with fresh sheets, vacuum or mop floors, then systematically return daily-use items to their designated spots. Developing solid habits, like always putting textbooks back on the shelf after study sessions, makes future clean-ups quick and simple.
Organizing belongings into labelled storage bins under the bed keeps the room neat without overwhelming. Living in a tidy room does wonders for mental well-being – there is less visual noise competing for attention and fewer scattered items, inducing feelings of being pulled in all directions. Students find it psychologically easier to unwind in a haven of order, mobilizing energy for academics instead of large and small stresses of domestic chaos.
10. Use the Mobile Less
Who knew that your cell phone could make you feel stressed?
Research shows that using your phone too much can not only make you feel stressed but it can also hurt your mental health.
So it’s time to learn all you can about your phone.
You could try some of the following:
- You should only check your social media once or twice a day.
- Put an end to all alerts.
- After 9 p.m., put your phone on “airplane mode” or, better yet, turn it off.
If you still need help, fun apps like Forest can help you forget about your phone and study for your exams.
If you need to focus, you can plant a seed in the Forest. It will take 30 minutes for the seed to grow. But your tree will die if you stop using the app and do something else.
Conclusion
In summary, college students face various typical stressors that stem from academic and personal responsibilities—juggling a demanding course load while balancing extracurricular activities, jobs, finances, social lives and more places significant pressure on students.
Transitioning to independent living and new surroundings additionally creates emotional challenges. While a certain level of stress enhances focus and drives motivation, prolonged high stress seriously affects mental and physical health and academic performance if not managed properly. Students must recognize the major reasons for strain – from exams and assignments to interpersonal issues – to better cope.
Developing effective stress management techniques helps reduce anxiety and its debilitating impacts. Being aware of typical stressors and creating personalized stress-busters can equip students with lifelong skills to handle the pressures of college and beyond in a healthy, resilient manner to set them up for success.
