The Stress Relief Guide for Every Student
Oh, winter. The time of snow, holidays, and all the joyous little things in between as we start the countdown to winter break. However, before we leave for break, we must first tackle the numerous end-of-term assessments. And with these assessments comes the villain of this article: stress... Uh oh. But is it as big and bad as we make it out to be?
Before we jump into methods of stress relief, we must understand what stress actually is! Stress is defined as the body’s reaction to anything that requires an adjustment or response. In healthy doses, stress can strengthen your immune system and increase focus, allowing for increased productivity. Stress is a part of everyday life; everyone has it, and it is here to stay. We can’t do anything about it other than embrace it. When controlled, stress is an advantage; when neglected, however, it is detrimental to our mental health.
Now we can go on to tackling stress. But wait! We must defeat Stress’s trusty sidekick, Procrastination, before we move on! … Or maybe we’ll just do it later.
I’ll let you in on a secret: your problem with procrastination is not a lack of skill in your work. Rather, it is being in the habit of procrastinating. Procrastination is just a form of stress relief. When you have many things to do and your brain feels that it has done enough already, it will give itself a break by putting aside everything important to instead focus on what it wants to do. The trick to breaking this habit is to develop another habit. When you feel yourself wanting to procrastinate, count down from 5 to 1 and tell yourself that you will just sit down and work for 5 minutes. Research has proven that if you can start, 80% of people can continue.
Now that we have defined stress and understood its procrastination sidekick, we can finally move on to tackling the big boss: Stress.
First, learn to prioritize your time. Look at everything you need to get done and briefly sort them into categories: important and urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but unimportant, and neither important nor urgent.
Next, we can move on to creating a schedule, to-do list, or anything of that sort that works for you. Though the method depends on the individual, one thing is for sure: you need to know WHAT you need to get done by WHEN. In addition, set smaller goals for yourself that are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. For example, if you have an essay due on Friday, you make a note to plan it by Monday, write a rough draft on Tuesday, edit on Wednesday, and polish the final draft on Thursday.
Some other suggestions from Havergal students include using a schedule to write out tasks and how long they will take to complete, then doing them in your preferred order. Some prefer scheduling a cycle for working depending on their needs. For example, someone might choose to schedule longer work times and longer breaks because they have a long attention span and find it difficult to shift focus. However, if you do choose to block out your time, don’t forget to reward yourself! These rewards will motivate you to work.
While you work, eliminate distractions! Many people can’t get work done because they are either constantly checking their phone or watching Netflix while they work. Social media companies have done extensive research on the best algorithm to keep the user engaged, so what you think will be few minutes on your phone could become hours. In addition, studies have shown that using social media increases stress—most people experience an emotional response that releases stress hormones every time their phone goes off . Hence, once you decide to work, turn off your phone or put it in another room. You could also use applications and browser extensions such as Forest that restrict certain websites and apps for a set amount of time. Most people find that even the act of starting a timer helps them focus because they have a goal and time frame. After all, it feels good to see all that you have accomplished after a day of productivity.
Up until now, we’ve been focusing on how to prevent stress, but what should we do if we end up in a stressful situation such as an upcoming competition or an assignment that is due tomorrow? First of all, you must keep a positive attitude. Take a few deep breaths and reassure yourself that you can get the work done. It is interesting how easily your brain can be convinced to believe something.
In addition, most people find breaks very helpful. Havergal students answered in a survey that when they are stressed, they usually take a nap, take a walk, jam out to music, eat or drink something, or exercise before working. Others find that jumping straight into work and concentrating makes them the most productive because they don’t give their brain the time to feel stressed. Ms. Uhre, one of our many wonderful guidance counsellors, states that it will take some trial and error to figure out what methods suit you the best, but time management and organizational strategies will set you up for success.
Don’t compare the number of things you are doing to other people. Some people thrive when constantly occupied, while others excel after some alone time. However, if you are one of those people who has loads of extracurriculars and feels constant stress, consider dropping one or two. Accept that there are so many opportunities at Havergal that there isn’t enough time for you to commit to every single one. Furthermore, there are many people at Havergal whom you could go to for help when you are in distress: our guidance counsellors, the social worker, trusted teachers, and even your friends. Remember: whether Havergal is here to help you thrive or burden you down is completely up to you, so consider what you are able to handle.
References
Cleveland Clinic. “What Is Stress? Symptoms, Signs & More.” Cleveland Clinic, 18 Oct. 2018, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress#:~:targetText=Stress is the body's reaction,your body, and your thoughts.
ULifeLine. “Good Stress, Bad Stress.” ULifeline, http://www.ulifeline.org/articles/450-good-stress-bad-stress#:~:targetText=In small doses, stress has many advantages.&targetText=In addition, there are various,protect your body from infection.
Robbins, Mel. “The Reason You Procrastinate (It's Not What You Think) | Mel Robbins.” YouTube, YouTube, 31 Jan. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFu_58AnT0g.
Ibid
Osterhaus, Erin. “8 Time Management Tips to Grow Your Small Business.” QuickBooks, 14 May 2019, https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/employees/8-tips-for-effective-time-management/.
Ibid
ABC News. “Excessive Cellphone Use May Cause Anxiety, Experts Warn.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 28 July 2017, https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/excessive-cellphone-anxiety-experts-warn/story?id=48842476.