Stress Management for Students

Students today are faced with a number of stressors, both at school and outside of it. Stress management for students includes handling schoolwork challenges, keeping up with extracurricular groups and events. Stress is not a good motivator and too much stress or anxiety decreases performance. Stress management for students is essential for maintaining a level of emotional and mental health.

There are many strategies for preventing stress, depending on the type of stressful situation we are facing.

1. Handling homework stress is a key element of maintaining stress management for students. Homework assignments typically follow them from each class, leaving them with a load to carry home each night. This can be overwhelming for students and leave them feeling burnt out. The key to managing this level of student stress is organization and planning.

2. Academic pressure can be distress if it is allowed to become such. Through stress management, however, it can be eustress that urges to greater accomplishments. In this case, stress management for students demands building on academic successes. Awarding peak performance can encourage greater academic excellence.

3. The school environment can be a distress if students are left to handle it on their own. Planned activities geared toward initial adjustment, and intermittent periods of relaxation can go far toward introducing eustress into your stress management for students.

4. Exercise is possibly the single most effective strategy for preventing stress because it converts stress chemicals into fuel. It reduces muscle tension, clears the head, and reminds us of skills that we have.

5. What you do, what you listen to, what you see and who you talk to during your day has a huge impact on the levels of stress in your life AND how able you are to deal with stress.

6. Many students naturally seek out extracurricular activities, and find them a source of eustress. Others feel pressured to engage in them, and suffer distress instead. Stress management for students requires careful selection of activities, and balance among these activities, school life, family life, and part-time jobs.

7. Parents themselves are to blame for a portion of student stress. It is well known that students, as they get older, seek greater degrees of independence from their parents. This is necessary if they are to become mature adults. At the same time, the struggle can causes great distress on both sides of the equation.

8. It is foolish to commit ourselves beyond our capabilities and capacity. If you can’t achieve, that does not definitely mean failure. Take it as an experience, which we can learn from, instead of becoming discouraged and demoralized. You cannot always be first and sometimes need to be contented with second best.

9. Sharing your problems with someone who cares often offers an emotional buffer to the stress and strains of life. Others may be able to help you look at difficult situations differently, and you may also learn other ways of coping with stress.

10. Always take up a hobby to help you relax. Do something you enjoy, be it listening to music, reading novels, watching movies, or even something physical like swimming, jogging, tennis, badminton, etc. It need not be expensive golfing or tours to other countries. You can do it at home or just in the neighborhood.