Coping with End of Semester Stress
It’s that time of the semester again–deadlines are approaching, and finals are coming faster than we all realize. Upcoming deadlines can be very scary and if you’re like me, just thinking about them makes your stomach knot and your palms sweaty.
The best thing to do is get organized. Having an agenda helps because you can write down everything you have to do for the week. I use an agenda app on my phone because sometimes I am so stressed out that I forget about assignments, out of sight out of mind. My agenda app reminds me to study, finish assignments, and go to work days, hours, or minutes before it all needs to be done.
Staying organized is a great way to reduce stress because you know what you have to do and when to do it. Just because you have reminders does not necessarily mean you are going to do anything. Procrastination is the root of stress for students. Why do people procrastinate? People procrastinate because they lack motivation.
I used to be very unmotivated and thought that good grades would come from staying up late the night before a test or a due date and cramming everything I could together to try to complete what was due. I did pretty well for a lazy procrastinator, but pretty well is not what you should expect from yourself.
Transitioning from high school to college I realized that I have a lot of potential that not everyone can see. I buckled down and started focusing on my grades and expected more from myself. The way I did that was by focusing on my future and who I want to be. I want to be extremely successful and respected, but before that happens I need to make sure I am motivated and capable of attaining that future. Another thing to keep in mind is that the world is becoming very competitive; staying sharp and knowledgeable is what makes you stand out.
Some people are organized and motivated, but still find stresses and anxieties consuming their lives. Coping with stress is very serious because stress can be detrimental to your physical, mental, and emotional health. Most people know that stress causes break outs, lack of sleep, migraines, and loss of focus, but stress also causes deeper problems that can be life altering. Anxiety, depression, hair loss, heart attacks, strokes, weakened immune health, ulcers, PTSD, and other neurological disorders. Knowing how much stress is too much before you go into stress overload is important, if your stress is starting to affect you mentally and emotionally it may be time to relax.
Relaxation is a healthy and easy way to reduce stress, take some time away from the cause of your stress and focus on something that helps you relax. Watch some television, but only for a short amount of time because completely ignoring the cause of your stress creates more stress. Get a massage, take a shower, or go to the gym – exercise is clinically proven to reduce stress. If you feel that you are experiencing stress overload talk to someone, you should not have to go through this alone. Or go to www.stress.org for more tips.