How to Handle College Stress

Between classes, homework, projects, papers, social life, adapting to a new environment, being alone and the general hectic nature of college life, stress levels can run pretty high for college kids. There are a few things you can do to deal with that high stress.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Schedule some alone time. Even 20 minutes a day where you don’t have to do any work or deal with any friends can make a world of difference. Take that time to truly relax.
2. Exercise. Take some time when the stress is getting bad to go to the gym or go on a walk. Hitting the heavy bag at the gym can be a great stress reliever while just stretching it out in yoga works for others. Doing something active, even just a walk, can really help lower your stress.
3. Party. Sometimes the best cure is to just let it all out and go nuts partying. Take a night to let go of all of that stress and just have a good old time living up the college life with your buddies. One good night partying can revitalize your life.
4. Take a vacation. If nothing else is working and you really are stressing out of your mind then you might want to think about getting away for awhile. Take a long weekend trip some place that isn’t college related. Fly home if you can afford it. This is a last ditch but it can do the trick.
5. Use campus resources. Every campus has a psych services department. They offer real help to anyone who needs it. Stress is at the root of a lot of problems for college kids and the people at psych services are there to help. They are trained to deal with college related issues and have real solutions and answers. Sometimes it helps just to talk to someone.