Introduction:
University life is fascinating for us. But it also brings a lot of challenges to us. Like attending lectures, preparing for exams, passing exams, managing your social life, etc. We have to face challenges. While managing all these things, we start taking its load. Which gradually gives rise to stress in our lives. In such a situation, handling stress becomes a challenge for us. Before handling stress, it is crucial to know about stress, what is stress? And how does it originate in our life? Stress is a natural physical reaction, which develops in our life due to the threat of pressure. It is a type of symptom targeting a series of hormonal and neurological changes inside our body. Which prepares our body to face danger or run away from it. Let us try to learn in detail about stress management techniques for university students.
1. Understanding Stress in University Life
We face the pressure of college life and enter university life. We reach there chasing our dreams. Along with this, we bring a lot of expectations with us. However, university life is full of struggles and stress. In this article, we will try to know the reasons for the stress and pressure of university students and try to find a solution to it:
- Academic Pressure: Academic pressure, such as assignment writing and deadline load, teacher and parent pressure, and uncertainty about our future plays an important role in increasing stress. Not knowing the resources to prepare the assignment is also a reason.
- Financial Concerns: We have to face challenges like money management, tuition fees, university fees, personal expenses, etc. because every student is dependent on his family at this time. In such a situation, we start taking the load of these expenses, which becomes the cause of stress. In this situation, we can find a part-time job along with our studies, or learn a skill that helps us to generate a source of income for ourselves. So that we can avoid the stress.
- Social Challenges: Making friends and balancing relationships is also considered a big challenge in university. Because the kind of people you are in the company of matters a lot in your life. If you make friends with the wrong people, you may be ruined in the future. To avoid this, make sure that your friends are good and high-minded students. Who will help you move forward in the future? Adopting this technique will also keep you away from stress.
- The Stress of Love Life: It is often seen that love life in our university life also creates a kind of stress. Unknowingly we like someone. And we fall in love, but with time the color of love starts fading. Due to this a problem like a breakup is created in a relationship. Due to this, we deviate from our goal. This also plays a big role in putting us under stress. So stay focused on your work.
2. Signs and Symptoms of Stress
There is no clear definition of stress. Nor are we able to prepare ourselves in advance to fight it. Sometimes it comes silently and goes away. In such a situation, it becomes crucial for us to recognize its signs:
- Physical Sign: Symptoms such as frequent or severe headaches, feeling tired or lacking energy, feeling restless or having difficulty sleeping, changes in digestion, stiffness, etc. can be signs of physical stress.
- Emotional Sign: feeling nervous or anxious, sudden mood swings such as feeling irritable or impatient, feeling isolated, feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities or tasks, and that no one can understand you.
- Behavioral Signs: Procrastinating due to feeling overwhelmed, avoiding people or activities due to anxiety or stress, using drugs and narcotics due to stress, changes in eating habits such as eating less or more, etc. indicate behavioral changes that may be caused by stress.
- Cognitive signs: Difficulty concentrating, memory loss or difficulty learning new things, experiencing anxiety in thoughts, self-talk about negative thoughts, and having a negative outlook as well as feeling worthless, etc. refer to cognitive signs. This can also be a sign of stress.
3. Effective Stress Management Techniques
Let’s try to learn some efficient and effective stress management techniques for university students. These are the techniques that will help you to fight stress in your life practically:
- Time Management: First, you have to make a routine list for every day of your week. After making the list, paste it in front of where you sleep in your room. So that while coming and going, while roaming around in the room, while sleeping and waking up, you will see this list. And you will keep remembering your goal again and again. Make sure that in this list you will show the routine of 6 days of the week, keep Sunday for yourself. On this day you should play, roam around and chill. This will give you the power to fight stress throughout the week. To make this list, you can also use apps like Google Calendar, which is optional. Along with this, you also learn the art of dividing big tasks into small and manageable parts and avoid cramming at the last moment of the exam.
- Mindfulness and Meditation: While studying, remember to take a 10 to 15-minute break after every 45 minutes. During the study break, do long and deep breathing exercises, and walk around a bit. By doing this, you will feel refreshed, stress will be reduced, and productivity will increase in your studies. Mindfulness helps you focus on the present moment while studying and ease your worries.
- Physical Activity: Exercising is as important as your career. A great man has said that “Health is Wealth”. Doing physical activity releases a hormone called endorphin from our body, which is necessary for our brain and body. Along with this, it reduces our mood and stress. Therefore, waking up in the morning and going for a run and after that doing exercise, doing yoga, or going to the gym is also a great option. Believe me, doing physical activity will always keep you away from stress. Quick fitness routines are perfect for busy students.
- Healthy Lifestyle Habits: It is important to get at least 8 hours of sleep every day in university life. Eat a balanced and high-quality diet. Try to avoid fast food. Avoid consuming intoxicants like cigarettes, tobacco, and alcohol. Also, if you study late at night, then avoid excess consumption of caffeine. All these habits can spoil your health and help increase your stress level.
- Building a Support System: It is often seen that as we grow older, we avoid sharing our feelings. But to reduce stress, we should share our feelings with friends or family. By doing this, our grief is reduced and we feel lighter. Apart from this, we can also get help from counselors and consultants. If you cannot afford this, then you can join university clubs or support groups.
- Learn to Say No: It’s vital to learn to say “no” when things aren’t serving you well in university life. Also, set boundaries, prioritize your self-care, and be resourceful with your time. Remember, saying “no” to others is the same as saying “yes” to yourself. Your well-being and success depend on it.
- Professional Help: Sometimes in university life, we realize that we are stressed only when it is too late. In such a situation, we need professional guidance that can provide us with effective solutions. This is an important stress management technique for university students that can be a game-changer for your mental health. If you need long-term support, you can talk to professional therapists or psychologists and book sessions.
4. Tips for Staying Consistent
The stress management techniques we suggested for university students will be fruitful only if you practice them regularly. For this, you need to make a routine. If you follow the techniques suggested by us regularly, believe me, you will hardly need the support of any professional to be stress-free.
For example, do 10 to 15 meditations in your daily routine, exercise for at least 1 hour, and study for 45 minutes with a gap of 15 minutes. And after that, study for however many hours you want to study, taking a gap in the same way. This technique can prove to be effective for you.
Conclusion:
Student life is indeed stressful. And we cannot remain untouched by it. But this does not mean that we spoil our mental health. Small efforts made by us can bring a big change in your life. Whether it is meditation, exercise, or sleep balance, every step matters. Managing stress is an art. Which will help you to move ahead in university life. So stay consistent.
