School and Stress

Posted April 4, 2018 by Sarah Callanan

I’m in the final push of my first semester of grad school. I just checked Moodle for my online class and I only have four weeks left. FOUR WEEKS. This semester has been so amazing, but unfortunately it is currently the most stressful part of the semester with readings, essays, online forums, and final projects being due soon. Add real-life interference and Fall 2018 class registration being this week and that leads to stress. Here are some things that I am doing to combat stress that may be useful in your life:

Make a list: Making a list of everything that needs to be done and checking things off of it as those things get done actually can be very soothing because you can really see what has and has not been done.
Walk: My mom has always stressed the power of walking, and how much good it can do for you, and I never actually believed her until I went to college, and I got stressed while writing a paper. I went on a walk, and then I returned to my paper, completely refreshed and de-stressed. I might change this to “walk away” but the point still stands- walking works. Or if you don’t like walking, any type of exercise works.
Get enough sleep: To be completely honest, I’m not exactly following this one due to real-life interference at the moment but getting at least 8 hours of sleep is important for everyone, and really helps cut down on the stress.
Drink more water: The more water you drink, the better you will feel.
Take deep breaths: I was introduced to the concept of “square breathing” during high school. Breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, and hold for four seconds. If this doesn’t work for you, just take deep breaths, or do whatever works!
Stretch: Often times our muscles cramp when we’re hunched over working at our computers or when we are leaning over when reading books or taking notes, so stretching can help.
Talk it out: Talking with someone about what’s going on is always helpful to me.

I hope some of these methods will help you as you tackle the stress in your life.