TIME-OUT!!!
Examinations. Deadlines. Pressure. Poor time management. Bad grade. Peers. Society. Such reasons may trigger
emotionally, physically, behaviorally and cognitively shown stress responses. Stress means different things to different
people; hence, students have their own kind of stress.
The thought of a project’s deadline and your time limit is like a gateway to stress. As a student, there are
requirements that one should meet to attain good grades, which makes it more stressing. The upcoming examinations,
rushed activities, uncooperative groupmates and other things like romantic relationships and social anxiety are some of the
most common source of stress in students.
In some cases, students lack discipline that sometimes causes this phenomenon. For instance, a student should be
making his homework, but instead, he is scrolling through his newsfeed, sharing posts and reacting to memes. Students
cannot submit on time because of this, thus, initiating the domino effect. Failing to submit on time results to a bad grade.
Not having good grades sometimes affect family relationships and that, pressures a student. Too much pressure causes
anxiety and unease; which makes the symptoms of stress visible. Stress can affect all aspects of life, including your
emotions, behaviors, thinking ability and physical health. If this keeps up, students may experience what they are most
prone to-depression. Everyone knows what depression can do but not everyone takes it seriously. Compared to adults,
students feel stressed because of paper-thin reasons, but there is nothing funny to it. Everyone has a reason to be stressed
about so don’t keep thinking about it. In the end, you will just feel more stressed.
To take a break from this stressing topic, here are some tips to deal with stress:
1. Reconnect with yourself. Find peace within yourself. Remember what you love. Invest in your relationship with
Gowith everything that you do. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus – (Philippians 4:6-7)
2. Talk to someone. Talking to someone works as both distraction and treatment. It can distract you from your stressful
thoughts or treat you by releasing some of the built-up tension by talking about it. Sharing each other’s thought
will help you loosen up a bit. After all, one should not keep his problem to himself.
3. Manage your time. Accept that you can’t do everything at once. Entertainment doesn’t come at last but set your
priorities as to what should be done first. Even though it wouldn’t be easy, at least it makes things less stressful.
4. Try to relax. For some students, relaxing is a piece of cake. But for those who find relaxing difficult, the first thing to
do is to clear your mind. Don’t think of anything at all. Second, if it’s too stressful, take a quick break and then get
back at it. Lastly, if you find yourself feeling tensed again, just say your self-affirming word or phrase such as
“calm down” and “Grant me peace and serenity”.
5. Get more sleep. Most students sleep at twelve midnight or even past that. Factors that affect lack of sleep include social
media and other entertainments. Sleeping late is not prohibited but continuing to do so results to more stress.
Getting more sleep eases your mind which relaxes your whole body, therefore reducing your stress.
6. Indulge in physical activities. When you feel tensed or stressed, go for a walk in fresh air. Doing this restores your
body and mind to a calmer, more relaxed state. Regular physical activity will also improve the quality of your sleep. If
you can’t find something to do at school, you can always clean your room.
Doing these may help you break the cycle of stress but you can’t avoid it. Stress is a part of everyone’s life and it
is a big part of a student’s life. What matters most is how you handle it. Some say “Prevention is better than cure”
though, you can’t prevent yourself from being stressed, the best thing you can do is prevent stress overload. Being a
student is fun. There are times that you feel tensed of being unable to cope, being unable to meet their expectations and
times that you feel chilled despite the pressure. One can enjoy his school life while being stressed at the same time. A
word of advice, enjoy it and don’t stress too much. After all, what fun is school without seeing your classmates panic over
a deadline? Lol. But, if ever you’re stressed, just take a rest.