Hello my Socratica Friends! We’re here to help you be a GREAT student. Hey...are you
doing okay? You look a little...stressed.
Not all stress is bad. When it’s something really important, a little stress can help
us rise to the challenge. It can actually make us better students, more focused on our
tasks. You SHOULD take it seriously when you have a big test, or an important presentation.
But you can’t be stressed every single day. It can get to be overwhelming, and instead
of stimulating our minds, we shut down, get sick, and perform poorly in our studies. Our
work suffers, and we suffer.
Today, let’s talk about how to manage your stress so it can play a small, beneficial
role in your life.
The solution is not to have ZERO stress in your life. If you didn’t care about anything,
you wouldn’t accomplish anything. But a lot of the time, all those worries are a needless
complication in your life, and CAN be avoided. Here are some of the most common sources of
stress for students - some of which can be eliminated, or at least minimized.
For example, if you have a bad habit of procrastinating, that can lead to unnecessary, stressful situations.
Some people procrastinate because of an unspoken fear of failure. They avoid studying for that
test or writing that paper. After all, if they put it off, they can blame their poor
performance on factors out of their control by saying they just ran out of time. But the
truth is, they never really gave themselves the chance to do well. In fact, they set themselves
up for failure.
Sound familiar?
Sometimes it looks like you’re procrastinating because you just lack awareness of time constraints
- you’ve never really tried to budget your time. For example, we know that cramming doesn’t
work. You really can’t study effectively when you try to cram in all your studying
in the last four hours before the test. But it might surprise you that around four hours
is all you really need, as long as you break it into 30 minute chunks. Now, that means
you have to start studying about a week before your test. Work backwards from your due date,
and be honest with yourself about how much time you can devote to this task.
Time management is SUCH a big topic, we’ll tackle it in its own video. But this tip should
be enough to get you started. By the way, if you are looking forward to more videos
from Socratica, consider supporting us on Patreon. We love making these videos for you,
and if you find value in them, help us make more with a small monthly donation.
Now what was I talking about?
Are you always forgetting things, like deadlines and due dates? That’s the worst feeling,
when something sneaks up on you. Attack it at the source. Make a to-do list - a rough
outline for the month, a little more detailed for the week, and very detailed for today.
This will help you get rid of that cloud of anxiety hovering over your head - that giant
mental list of things to do looks far more feasible when it’s down on paper.
Mindfulness is the latest buzzword for reducing stress. This isn’t a new concept - having
control of your thoughts is a powerful way to get a handle on your stress. Think of it
as developing your mental discipline. Most people recommend breathing exercises, focusing
on your breath, and when you get distracted, drawing your focus back to your breath. But
ironically, some people get MORE anxious when focusing on their breath, so it backfires.
If that’s true for you, pick something else to focus on. A flower arrangement, a beautiful
picture, a candle flame. Don’t beat yourself up for being distracted! The very act of catching
your mind wandering and bringing it back to focus - that’s the whole point of meditation.
Try it for 10 minutes a day for a week, and see if you don’t notice an impact.
I think you will.
Are you always late for class? Late for appointments? Late for life? Don’t you hate that panicky
feeling, and the shame of letting people down? Don’t be that person. Show respect for other
people’s time and get yourself there on time. This is another AVOIDABLE source of
stress.
You’re going to tackle this just like your problem with procrastination - start with
the time you have to be someplace, and work backwards.
Your study session is at 2 PM. It takes you 15 minutes to get there, so you think you
can leave at 1:45? No. Nope. You’re fooling yourself! It’s going to take you at least
5 minutes to park and walk in. And another 5 minutes at your house to find your keys
and pet your dog on your way out. So you’d better leave at 1:30. Trust me. Round up all
your time estimates. Traffic/ red lights/accidents- they’re always going to be there. Keep working
backwards. You know you have to eat before you go. You think it takes you 10 minutes
to eat, 15 minutes to cook, so start lunch at 1, right? Wrong. It takes you 20 minutes
to eat, 20 minutes to cook, 10 minutes to clean up. Start lunch at ..hmm..12:30. Again,
I’m rounding up. You don’t want to be wolfing down your food - that’s not healthy.
Give yourself this time.
Let’s try another one. You know you need to go to class at 10AM in the morning? When
should you wake up, and when should you leave so you’re not late? Using our counting backwards
and rounding up technique, I’m going to say wake up at 8 AM. Let’s check.
9:30 - leave for class 9 - 9:30 - do 30 minutes of homework or something
to prepare for class 8:30-9 - shower and get changed.
8-8:30 eat breakfast So, yeah, give yourself TWO WHOLE HOURS. If
you’re chronically late, that may seem a crazy long time. But it’s not.
See? We wrote it out in black and white.
So let’s say you leave your house at 9:30 and you arrive with plenty of time for your
10AM class. You take your seat, relaxed, and maybe even a little bored. DON’T take this
as a sign that you should leave later next time, you adrenaline junky! This just means
you need something to occupy your time. Carry flashcards with you, or review your class
notes from last time. These 5-10 minute stretches of free time are perfect places to sneak in
a little studying, which will further reduce your stress.
Are you stressed IN class? Got the fidgets? Many people find themselves distracted and
jumpy in class - they feel trapped, and they tap their feet and spin their pens. You might
be helped by one of these little beauties - the fidget spinner. The idea is - when your
hand is occupied with a soothing, repetitive task like spinning a fidget spinner, you are
free to concentrate on the task at hand. You could also try one of these squeezy toys.
If you’d like to try this for yourself, we’ll include links to the fidgety toys
we’ve tried ourselves. Worth a shot. Better than kicking the chair in front of you.
Don’t discount the importance of friends. Make time to check in with your buddies. Walk
to class together. Try to eat together with friends or family. Did you know that one of
the best predictors of a long, healthy life is a strong social network? We are social
animals, even those of us who are introverts. We need real human connection to be well.
Now we’ve been talking about what you can do for YOURSELF in your daily life, but this
is no substitute for professional care. Honestly, everyone could benefit from talking through
their life challenges with a counselor. Your school has mental health professionals available.
Please take advantage of this incredible resource. You may feel more comfortable talking with
a spiritual guide. That can be a wonderful option as well. Most importantly, know that
reaching out for help sends your brain a powerful message that your well-being matters.
Now that’s the mental side. How about the physical? Are you eating right, exercising,and
getting enough sleep? All of these things can contribute to your stress level, if you
neglect them.
You heard it from your parents, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true - you are what you eat.
Are you eating your vegetables? I’m not going to preach some special diet at you other
than this - vegetables are your friend. If you’re eating fast food all the time, you
might be going a whole day sometimes without eating a single vegetable. You could even
be malnourished. Learn how to make simple, healthy meals. It’s not hard. Have at least
one vegetable with every meal (even breakfast). This will reduce your body stress, your mental
stress, all kinds of stress.
Get outside for some fresh air. Being out in nature reduces our stress in mysterious
but measurable ways. Try reading outside. Go for a walk. Take your coffee break outside.
Speaking of coffee - watch your caffeine intake. Many people find it helpful to jump start
their day, and it may even be beneficial for your health - but it’s easy to overdo it.
If you’ve got the jitters, try cutting back. Everything in moderation!
Your bed is for sleep. Don’t study in bed. Don’t read your phone in bed. Don’t watch
TV in bed! All of these interfere with your getting to sleep. Most people need about 7
to 9 hours of sleep. Are YOU getting enough? If you know you’re a morning person, don’t
force yourself to stay up late with caffeine. Start your day early instead. Similarly, if
you’re a night owl, use those night hours to your benefit. Get your reading done in
the peace and quiet at nighttime - then - let yourself sleep in. Arrange your schedule as
much as possible to match the hours when you are at your best. Even if you suffer from
insomnia, staying on a steady schedule will help. Don’t let anything interfere with
your getting enough sleep.Exercise also seems to help people sleep better.
Yep, here’s another big source of stress that you CAN do something about. Your body
NEEDS exercise, and if you don’t do any, you’ll feel tired, sore, and unhappy. This
doesn’t mean you have to be a super athlete. Just get your body moving. Make sure to find
something that you enjoy, so you don’t have to force yourself. If you like to be with
people when you exercise, you could find a team sport to play. Or join that spontaneous
kickball game. Do you like taking walks? Take a friend with you! Or if you prefer to use
this time for quiet reflection, consider the peace and solitude of swimming laps. Your
body will thank you, and your stress will evaporate... along with a little sweat.
We hope you find some of these suggestions helpful. Let us know what YOU do to reduce
stress in your life. Taking care of yourself, minimizing stress - it’s all part of being
a great student.
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