4 ways to manage stress that are surprisingly simple
As we approach mid-semester, you may begin to feel the stresses of an increased workload and additional responsibilities outside of school. Here are four ways you can manage stress that are surprisingly simple.
Check in with yourself
What things in your life feel overwhelming? Write out a list of everything on your mind. This could include things like upcoming tests, projects, job stress or relationships.
Listing your stressors out on paper will allow you to be more mindful about what is causing you to feel overwhelmed. It鈥檚 okay to take a deep breath, step away and come back to your list at a later time. It鈥檚 important to understand that mindfulness doesn鈥檛 always bring a sense of calm or relief 鈥 it can actually be a bit uncomfortable at first.
As you look at your list, be honest about how it makes you feel (anxious, tired, excited, etc.). Acknowledge and validate those feelings. Remember that you can hold multiple emotions at once, and there isn鈥檛 always a clear answer to how you should feel. It鈥檚 also important to remind yourself that feelings are temporary.
Finally, consider asking yourself why these things make you feel that way. For instance, if the most stressful item on your list is an assignment, ask yourself why. Maybe it feels like there鈥檚 too much to do and not enough time to do it, maybe you鈥檙e feeling stuck or are confused about the directions. Once you鈥檝e determined the causes of stress for the items on your list, start breaking them down into smaller tasks to tackle. It could be as simple as going to your professor鈥檚 office hours, doing a half hour of research or writing an outline. Schedule 20-30 minutes to commit to working on one task, and avoid distractions like texting or checking your social accounts for that time.
Prioritize your most basic needs
We鈥檝e said it before and we鈥檒l say it again: Prioritize your most basic needs first. These needs 鈥 sleeping, eating, exercising, socializing 鈥 set the foundation for everything else we do. When these areas are out of balance or get neglected, it can impact other areas of our lives.
Check in with yourself using HALT: are you Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired? If you answer yes to any of those, take care of those needs first.
Imagine you鈥檙e feeling hungry, but you decide to put off eating in order to study longer. In the long run, this will likely cause more stress. You鈥檒l get hungrier, and the last stretch of work may become unbearable or you鈥檒l start to lose focus. If you鈥檙e tired, your priority should be getting some rest even if it means that you鈥檙e not able to finish an assignment until tomorrow. Pushing ourselves to the limits and ignoring our basic needs is a quick way to experience burnout, which could slow us down even more. Taking care of yourself will not only help you, but it will also empower you to accomplish the other items on your list.
Do the next right thing
If you鈥檙e looking at your list and your mind is racing or you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed, try focusing on the 鈥渘ext right thing鈥.
This means focusing on the next smallest step that is going to move you forward. Sometimes that means dealing with your basic needs (HALT); other times it means tackling one of the items on your list.
If the next right thing feels too hard to pin down, check in with yourself again. What feels the most overwhelming? Can you break it down into pieces? Can you tackle a small piece of it right now? Most importantly, have you done a HALT check-in and taken care of your basic needs?
Repeating this check-in process any time you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed can help you identify the next right thing.
Create a leisure list
Making time to relax and unwind is an important part of self-care and stress management. You can set yourself up for success by creating your own leisure list. Start by taking note of activities that fully consume you in the moment. That means you鈥檙e not thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, the items left on your to-do list or anything other than the activity you鈥檙e currently doing. Every time you find yourself completely present, write it down in a notebook or on your phone.
Your list may include a combination of simple and complex activities, like making your morning coffee, organizing your notes, reading a good book, creating spreadsheets, taking care of your houseplants, walking outside, listening to an interesting podcast or making art. Focus on the activities that make you light up or give you energy. As you build out your list, use it to plan your down time and engage in activities that bring you joy, clarity or peace of mind.
Connect with support
Everyone struggles sometimes, and it鈥檚 okay to ask for help. Health and Wellness Services is here to support you, no matter what you鈥檙e going through. Here are just a few resources that can help you manage stress and anxiety:
- Peer Wellness Coaching: Peer Wellness Coaching is a free service to students. You can meet with a trained HealthBuff student educator to learn about resources and get help working toward your goals.
- Health Promotion programs: Health Promotion offers a number of free programs, including Wellness Wednesday and Mindful Monday to help you practice mindfulness, self-care and other wellness activities.
- Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS): provides free informal and confidential consultations with counselors through their Let鈥檚 Talk program. Let鈥檚 Talk counselors can help provide insight, solutions and information about additional resources. Students commonly use Let鈥檚 Talk to address concerns about stress, sadness, worry, relationships, academic performance, family problems and financial struggles.
- Workshops: CAPS also provides a number of free workshops for students. They cover a wide variety of topics, including stress management, COVID-19 concerns, relationships, healthy habits, sleep and more.
- Screenings: If you have more serious concerns or are struggling to cope, you can also schedule a screening appointment to meet one-on-one with a CAPS counselor to create a more personalized plan that might include individual therapy, group therapy or community care.
- The Recreation Center: is a great resource for staying connected with other Buffs and enjoying physical activity. They offer a wide variety of free programs and events, trips, courses and more! All full-fee paying students can access the Rec Center with a reservation and their Buff OneCard. You can also download the Rec Center app for touchless entry.