Many students experience significant amounts of stress that affects health, happiness, and grades. For example, a study by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that adolescents report stress levels close to those of adults, suggesting they experience significant levels of chronic stress, feeling their stress levels generally exceed their ability to cope effectively. Approximately 30% of students report feeling stressed, anxious, or sad about it.
A NYU study found that much of the stress of high school students comes from school and events, and this chronic stress can continue during college years, contributing to academic disengagement and mental health issues. Common sources of student stress include school environment, homework, extra-curricular activities, social challenges, relationships, and transitions like graduating, moving out, or living independently.
The following list of stress relievers that is most suitable for students as compiled by experts. This list will motivate you to perform to the best of your abilities and enjoy the journey as you continue to develop your skills.
1. Get Ample Sleep
Students with their crowded schedules are infamous for losing sleep. Unfortunately, when you act in a sleep-deprived state, you're at a distinct disadvantage. It's very healthy to take power naps and at least 8 hours a night.
2. Practice Meditation
Use direct meditation and visualization to reduce stress is easy and effective. Visualizations can help you calm down, get away from tension, and shut off your body's stress response.
Often, you can use visualizations to prepare presentations and score higher on tests by seeing yourself as how you want to behave.
3. Do Physical Activities
One of the healthiest ways to blow off steam is a regular exercise routine. By doing morning yoga, walking or cycling to school, or searching for a friend's check while walking on a gymnasium treadmill, students are able to work easily on their schedules. Exercising your entire life on a regular basis will help you live longer and enjoy life to the fullest.
4. Exercise Breathing
Once your body experiences a stress response, you often don't think as clearly as you might be. Breathing exercises are a fast way to calm down. These can be done virtually anywhere in minutes to relieve stress, and are especially effective in reducing anxiety before or even during training, as well as during other times of excessive stress.
5. Do Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Another great source of stress that can be used during exams as well as before bed (to prepare for sleep) or at certain occasions when you are mentally "wound up" with stress is something called Progressive Muscle Relaxation or PMR.
The technique involves stress and relaxation of the muscles until the body is completely relaxed. You can learn how to relieve stress from your body in seconds by practice.
6. Listen to Music
A convenient stress reliever that has also shown many cognitive benefits, music can help relieve stress and either calm down or stimulate your mind as the situation requires. Students can ease mental pressure and research easily by playing classical music while studying, playing upbeat music to wake up mentally, or relaxing with the help of their favorite slow melodies.
7. Organize your stuff
It's a reality that clutter will create friction, decrease productivity, and cost you money. Many students live in a cluttered setting and have cluttered areas of research that can have a detrimental impact on performance. One way of reducing the amount of stress you feel as a student is to create a clean, calming study area free from distractions and clutter.
8. Eat Healthy
You may not know, but your diet can either increase the power of your brain or save you from mental exhaustion. While a healthy diet is not generally regarded as a stress management technique or as an aid to study, it can actually work as both.
9. Try Hypnosis
When pulling an all-nighter, students frequently find themselves "getting really tired," but self-hypnosis can also be an important tool for stress management and a strong productivity tool.
10. Verbalize Affirmations
Optimism and positive thinking practices can lead to better health, better relationships, and better grades. Discover how to train your brain with affirmations and other tools for motivation for a more positive self-talk and a brighter future.
