University stress is actually very common, in fact, the 2019 Natwest Student Living Index found almost half of UK students reported feeling extremely stressed during their studies.
Leaving home to start your studies can be a stressful experience, whether it’s being away from home or having difficulty studying. Fortunately, there are many techniques to help students cope with anxiety and stress.
In this post, we’ll look at 7 practical ideas to help students manage stress at university.
1: Find the source of university stress
Student stress can be caused by any number of different things such as:
- Coursework deadlines
- Exams
- Loneliness or Homesickness
- Saving money
- Alcohol or drug use
- Relationshionships, such as friends and family
Whatever the problem the first step is to identify where your stress is coming from. When you’ve found the problem it will be easier to tackle it head-on and prevent it from interfering with the other parts of your life.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know exactly where feelings of stress and anxiety are coming from.
Specific problems such as drinking too much or falling out with friends may seem like they have an obvious solution, but other times the reasons for feeling stressed are more complicated.
Read more: Academic burnout: How to recover from it
In either case, try using some of the techniques below to help cope with stress.
2: Do some exercise
If you are feeling stressed you might think you don’t have time to exercise, but you don’t need to join a gym or go running. Exercise can be something as simple as going for a walk or riding your bike around campus. Try looking for some of the clubs and societies your university has to see if any catch your interest.
Multiple studies have shown that just 30 min of aerobic exercise every day can significantly lower people’s stress levels. You don’t need to exercise every day though, as long as you manage to get a few hours of exercise per week. Even those with limited space can use practices such as yoga or weight training to stay fit and healthy.
Exercise is not only good for your physical and mental well-being but it also has some direct stress-relieving properties:
- Raise Endorphin Levels. Physical exercise will release your body’s natural “feel good” chemicals known as endorphins.
- Active Meditation. For some people, exercise or sports are a way to get in the zone, where they aren’t thinking or worrying about other things.
- Improve Mood. Regular exercise can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improve sleep or give people a confidence boost.
If you’re having trouble getting started try this simple workout routine for beginners, no special equipment required.
If you want to read more about how exercise works to reduce stress and anxiety, here is an in-depth article by the American College of Sports and Medicine.
3: Get enough sleep
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels
University life can be exciting, filled with events that might cause you to go to bed late, but regularly lacking sleep can have serious consequences for your physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation can lead to problems concentrating or an inability to focus on work, as well as feelings of fatigue and anxiety.
Keeping up with exams and coursework is the number one reason students are stressed at university, so you’re doing yourself a disservice if you can’t stay awake during your lectures.
If you feel you’re not sleeping well try these tips below:
- Sleep at regular hours. Your body has its own internal clock, if you are frequently sleeping at odd times you’re not giving your body a chance to properly adjust it’s sleep/wake cycle.
- Sleep 7 to 9 hours. As people get older they tend to sleep less, students should be trying to sleep at least 8 hours per night, although the right amount will depend on the individual.
- Wind down before bed. Bad habits such as using your phone or laptop in bed can make it harder to fall asleep. Try doing something relaxing such as listening to music or taking a bath before trying going to bed.
4: Drink less coffee
It can be tempting to go to bed late and rely on coffee to give you the boost you need to make it through the day. However, drinking too much coffee can have several negative consequences, including the inability to fall asleep, creating a vicious cycle of late nights and coffee-filled days.
As anyone who has drunk their third double espresso of the day could tell you, coffee may help keep you alert but excess caffeine also increases anxiety. This is because both stress and caffeine elevate our cortisol levels. Prolonged levels of elevated cortisol will have several negative consequences and is linked to problems like moodiness and weight gain.
If you’re a heavy coffee drinker and have been feeling stressed recently, try reducing your coffee consumption to one or two cups a day, and avoid drinking coffee in the afternoon or evening.
There’s nothing wrong with a cup in the morning to help you get ready, but if you find yourself relying on multiple cups of coffee to get through the day you may have a problem.
5: Talk to someone
Feeling isolated or alone can lead to a lot of student suffering. Accepting that you need help is the first step to getting better. Try approaching a friend or family member, these people already care about you and will understand you best.
Sometimes simply sharing a problem can make it seem smaller, discussing problems with others can also give you new perspectives on how to deal with them. Speak to somebody you trust and ask them if they can spare 10 minutes to listen to you without judgement.
If you want more professional help or just feel like you can’t share your problems with friends try getting in touch with your university’s student services.
Most universities will also have a student well-being department. Student well-being services will be able to provide you with someone to talk to, as well as redirect you to other relevant student services, such as counselling or support groups.
6: Try relaxation and breathing exercises
You don’t need to be a Buddhist to practice meditation. Whether it’s meditation or mindfulness, they all start with the same thing, your breathing. Taking a few minutes to practice control over your breathing can be a great way to relieve immediate feelings of stress and anxiety, and can help reduce the severity of panic attacks.
If you have ever noticed how you breathe when you are feeling relaxed you will remember that your breaths were slow and deep. Deep breathing exercises are effective against stress because they bring your body and mind back to that relaxed state.
Here are the steps of a simple breathing exercise that can help you reduce your stress levels:
- Sit comfortably. This could be on the floor, a chair or even lying in bed.
- Breathe in through your nose. Take a long deep breath and count to 4.
- Breathe out through your nose. Count to 4 again before your next breath.
- Repeat.
- Increase time between breaths. Once you’ve grown comfortable counting to 4, you can try extending the count between breaths to 6, 8, or 10.
If you find breathing exercises are helping reduce your stress you might want to try some of the more advanced breathing techniques.
7: Stay organised
Deadlines, due dates, preparing for an exam, often the reason we feel stressed is that we think we don’t have enough time. Getting organised means making efficient use of the time that you have. This will lead to less time wasting and the freeing up of time for other tasks.
Getting organised can be more difficult than it sounds though, that’s why we’ve written some simple tips on how to get your life organised.
- Organise your things. This could be as simple as tidying your bed/work room but will also include things like: getting class notes in order, knowing when are where your classes are in advance, or making sure you have a copy of each additional reading from your courses (and organised them correctly). When your study materials are organised you won’t have to waste time searching for things only to remember that you didn’t print them out.
- Organise your time. For students, this can be a big one. Organising your time means deliberately setting aside time every day for studying or coursework. It means thinking in advance how long an essay will take to write and making sure you start writing as early as possible. If you start a task early it’s easier to know when you’ll be finished, rather than trying to cram everything into the last minute.
- Write a schedule. Some people might like to use an old paper calendar to keep track of their appointments but these days your computer or phone can be just as convenient. If you get into a habit of writing down important appointments (like coursework deadlines) and checking your calendar regularly you will be mentally prepared to set time aside for them. It will also reduce the chance you forgetting something completely.
8: Maintain a good work-life balance
Achieving a healthy work-life balance is essential for reducing stress and maintaining overall well-being. Here are some tips to help you achieve a better balance:
- Setting boundaries – for example not pulling all-nighters, and getting enough sleep.
- Prioritize self-care – Make sure to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally.
- Unplug – embrace the social element of uni.
Is university stressful?
Attending university can be a challenging and demanding experience that can lead to stress for some students. University can be stressful for several reasons, including academic pressure, financial concerns, social adjustment, and time management.
The pressure to perform academically can be one of the biggest stressors at university. This is because you are making a significant time and financial investment and want the best return in terms of grades and job prospects. Coursework, exams, and assignments can be a source of stress, especially if you are struggling academically. If you need academic support, reach out to the academic centre at your uni, attend office hours and consider getting a tutor.
Stressed at University: Summary
It’s important to remember that stress itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Humans have evolved to rely on stress to provide motivation to help us survive, whether that’s fighting off a predator or making sure we complete our coursework.
For life at university, a little stress can help us focus on our work or keep us motivated during difficult periods, such as before exams. However, if you’re experiencing frequent or high levels of stress, it’s important to take steps to keep it under control.
Learning to manage stress and stressful situations will be an important skill for anyone once they graduate. It will also ensure that for every problem you encounter later in life you will be mentally at your best.
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Written Will Ashford
Featured photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
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