Studying in college is an opportunity to get an excellent education and to open for yourself, so to speak, the road to life. But it is also serious stress, a great emotional shake-up for those who were sitting at a school desk only yesterday. Studying, in general, is considered one of the strongest stressors. And students with perfectionist syndrome struggle from academic stress the most. They want to do it all by themselves and it’s hard for those students to ask for some thesis help and have some time to relax. So we decided to talk about why it is stressful and how to deal with it.
Causes of learning stress
To begin with, let's notice that academic stress stems from an increased intellectual load and significant changes in the way of life of students. And just to handle stress and to increase the body's resistance, it is necessary first of all to understand the reasons for which there is stress at school. If you let the issue go on itself, you can get a lot of problems with your physical and mental health, and, as a consequence, with your studies.
In the students' lives, stress appears for a variety of reasons. We will not discuss all of them, but only the most common ones.
Change of environment
Admission to college is directly associated with a change of environment and social circle, and this is one of the main factors influencing the psycho-emotional state of the student. This factor is made up of smaller factors such as:
- The weakening of control and influence from parents and school teachers;
- The need to take care of oneself;
- Living in rented housing or a dormitory (when studying in another city);
- A change in social circles;
- Change of interests;
- Misunderstandings with classmates or roommates/apartments;
- Financial difficulties.
If a student is not psychologically prepared for such things, a change of scenery can knock him out overnight, making him more vulnerable to other negative factors as well.
Mental and Physical Stress
Besides, going to college is also a steep increase in stress. There is a lot more information to study, more intensive classes, and an independent search for knowledge. This also includes worrying about future exams and writing tests. In addition to this, it is worth mentioning the disruption of the usual schedule.
If a student finds it difficult to master any discipline, the risk of nervous overstrain increases. And students with perfectionist syndrome care too much about their reputation and they are afraid of not meeting the expectations of others, including parents who want their children to be flawless students. It’s highly recommended for them to delegate some of the assignments to one of the top essay companies so they still have a perfect paper with less stress.
If the emotional stress is prolonged, it can easily develop into prolonged and even chronic stress. This should not be allowed to happen under any circumstances, as professional medical help may be needed to overcome (already treated) the stress later on.
Other factors
Above we named the general factors of study stress, but there are also subjective ones that concern each student individually. They themselves, as well as their number, are caused by the way of life a person leads.
The subjective factors can include:
- conflicts with teachers;
- conflicts with other students;
- aspects of personal life;
- improper nutrition;
- inadequate sleep;
- insufficient amount of rest;
- bad habits (smoking, alcohol, drugs).
The level of psycho-emotional tension depends on the student's readiness for independent life, attitude towards learning and the level of his responsibility for what happens to him. It is also affected by the type of stress one encounters at school. It's about positive stress and negative stress.
How to deal with academic stress
The extent to which a student's stress tolerance is developed is of paramount importance both for the learning process and for the life of a person entering the adult world. Naturally, it is almost impossible to influence the conditions that accompany learning, and so it is much more effective not to “fight the system,” but to look for ways to normalize the mental state.
The most effective methods of dealing with study stress include behavior modification, i.e. reconsidering and changing one's attitude to what is happening, getting rid of anxiety about what is not working, mastering ways to get rid of negativity. And for this, psychologists recommend several techniques:
Diary writing
It has long been proven that it is very useful to put on paper your experiences, thoughts, and emotions. It allows you to get rid of negativity and unload the psyche. It is also useful to analyze your notes to understand the causes of your states and find ways to solve problems.
Exercise
Mentally and physically feel much better by physical activity. Working out, exercising, jogging and other similar activities are an opportunity to release excess energy and calm down, distract yourself and think about something. Of course, health through sports becomes better.
Emotional release
Stress often causes negative emotions, and, as it has already been noted, they need to be discharged. If sports for some reason are not an option, you can beat up an ottoman, break a plate, yell into a pillow, break something that you don't feel sorry for. When one is calm, one is no longer as stressed, and techniques like these are a great way to achieve calm.
Change of activity
When a day off is granted, it should definitely be spent differently than a weekday. It is best to radically change the environment and employment. You can go camping and spend the night in a tent, go skiing or organize a barbecue at a friend's cottage. The more “unusual” days you have in life, the better for your body and psyche.
Delegate
Don’t be afraid to ask for some help with your assignments, essays, research papers, dissertations etc. There are lots of professional paper writers who will help you with that, so you could free up some time and have a moment to relax.
Organize your time
Try to use different useful apps for students to better organize your time and life.
In fact, there are many more techniques for dealing with stress at college, and objectively speaking, they are not at all different from those for dealing with stress at work and in ordinary life. But there are special situations that require a more specific approach. One such situation is an upcoming exam or essay writing.
Even a little stress on the eve of an exam is a hindrance to concentration on preparation. The best way to avoid this is to eliminate stressors in advance or try to adapt to them. Plus, you should not skip lectures, study the material of a particular program on time, and do all the work assigned by teachers. Although in some cases it does not help either, because there are very emotional people who are stressed even if they are fully prepared for the exam.
Such students can be recommended to pay attention to mild sedatives. But firstly, there should be no contraindications, and secondly, you should definitely consult a doctor – only a specialist will be able to choose the right drug.
However, it is realistic to do without pharmaceuticals. Calm on the threshold of an important event is well helped by “grandma's” remedies, such as soothing gatherings and infusions of motherwort, chamomile, mint and valerian. However, you need to start taking them at least a couple of weeks before the exam, because the effect is cumulative. No infusion will be effective if you drink it an hour before the event.
The right daily routine should not be neglected. To maintain productivity and high performance, to worry less and absorb information better, it is desirable to go to bed and wake up at the same time, sleep at least eight hours a day, take breaks from activities during the day, and go outdoors more.
It is recommended to reduce consumption of coffee and tea, carbonated drinks and energy drinks. Drink more water and natural juices, eat healthy food, eat fruits and vegetables, berries, fish, porridge, chocolate (it improves brain activity, but not for long).
Compliance with the proposed recommendations is an opportunity to strengthen the psyche, normalize the psycho-emotional state and keep the body as a whole toned down. But perhaps the best option is not to take emergency measures to neutralize the effects of stress, but its prevention and prevention in everyday life.
