4 Tips for Stopping School Stress

If you were to ask a group of students what the worst part of college is, stress would probably rank in the top 5 responses, if not higher. Even so, most don't know how significant stress is; it bleeds into every aspect of your life, from friendships to grades. The average student doesn't seem to fix their issues with stress, thinking it is unavoidable, but it isn't. By applying these four tips, you can minimize your college stress, if not get rid of it entirely.

Ask why you are stressed

To fix stress, we first must understand why we feel stressed. There are many potential stressors, which are things that can give you stress. Some common ones among students are deadlines, tests, and papers. A more detailed list of stressors is provided here. Everyone is different, and that includes their stressors; the best way to find your stressors is to remember the last time you were stressed and what was happening when it occurred. While you are on your stressor hunt, remember that you could have multiple. Below, we have provided additional tips for stopping stressors commonly found in school.

Study

One potential reason why you're stressed is because of an upcoming test you are afraid you will fail. It is okay, and expected, to be concerned about what you value, but excess stress can prevent you from achieving your desired results. To prevent being stressed about grades, you need to be confident in your ability. The solution to grade-related stress, then, is to study. While few like the monotony of study, the stress that comes from taking a test without studying is a much worse feeling by comparison. Additional studying tips can be found here.

Get work done before it is due

Another common stressor is deadlines, especially when you have uncompleted assignments due soon. The solution for this issue is to finish assignments before the due date. If it is hard to motivate yourself to complete assignments, you may have an issue with procrastination that needs resolving.

Break up big assignments into smaller chunks

For some people, schoolwork stress doesn't come from deadlines or due dates but rather the assignment size. Large assignments can be intimidating, especially to those who expect to complete an assignment in one sitting. While you may have been able to get away with completing assignments quickly in high school, college work requires you to divide your assignments into chunks. For example, if you have a two-page paper, you could divide the assignment into five chunks, writing 100 words per chunk. When creating assignment chunks, remember to schedule when you will complete them so you do not forget about them. Additional tips about scheduling can be found here.

This post may not apply to your situation because stress has no one-size-fits-all solution. If you can identify your stressors, the best solution for getting rid of your stress is to find what works for you. It's not a fun answer to your problem, but it is the best one; you must change your behavior or environment to lower your stress levels, regardless of your specific stressors.