Managing Stress For College Students

Hello again, everyone! I only have 21 days left of school for this year. Wow! I am so excited about being home for the summer and getting time to relax and recuperate from a busy year. However, I am getting ready to enter the much dreaded homestretch. One more week of classes, then "dead week", then finals week. Ahh! A lot of my fellow classmates and friends and I are going crazy. We vent about unfinished homework assignments, exams to study for, project that are do, papers to write, and so on. I'm guessing my friends and I are NOT alone in this struggle. SO here's some tips I've accumulated over the past couple of years of being a college student.

1.) Exercise: Physical activity is so beneficial. Not only dies it help you get your body ready for swimsuit season but it also helps boost energy. If you find yourself super sleepy while studying or doing homework, get up and move. It doesn't have to be a full workout at the gym. If you are short on time, take a walk around campus, do some jumping jacks, or go up and down the stairs. When you get the blood flowing throughout your body, it will really help perk you up, and you'll also be in a better mood. I am in Intramural volleyball season, and I've been having a blast with it. It's a low-stress environment where a bunch of my friends and I get together to play volleyball and blow off steam. It is so much fun and I get a good workout in!

2.) Sleep: This is honestly a hard one for me. I do a lot of my best studying at night and it is sometimes hard to shut off my brain. But 7-8 hours of solid sleep helps your brain function to the best of its ability. Skimping on sleep the night before an exam is a bad idea. It will decrease your memory and the chances of remembering everything you need for that test become low. Sleep obviously helps you feel more awake and keeps you in a better mood.

3.) Water: I am also guilty of not drinking enough water. I reach for coffee throughout the day. And although coffee isn't entirely bad, it doesn't give you the benefits that water does. Coffee makes your dehydrated. Water also helps you stay awake, is good for your body, and it helps you perform better while studying or taking a test. I had a high school teacher compare water to premium gasoline for your car. Coffee is like regular gasoline. It works okay for some cars but it is not the best option. It can even ruin some cars. Your brain is like a car engine. You need to be super careful about what you fuel it with. Water is like premium gasoline. It will prevent your brain from crashing. There's a whole host of ailments that can accompany dehydration so it's best to embrace water instead of energy drinks and sugar.

Anyway, I hope these three tips will help you ace your projects and exams. Keep your head up and stay strong. You will dominate these last weeks of school and then be off to a well deserved break.

XOXO
Chloe