Best of: Stress busters

Struggling to cope with the stress of starting uni under these strange new conditions? Over the years we’ve produced some great student-made tips on how to handle stress like a boss. Here’s a few of my favourites:

“Sometimes it can feel that admitting you’re stressed and struggling is admitting failure, but it isn’t” – Katharyn, 3rd Year Journalism

First and foremost, feeling stressed is not a bad thing. You are human, it happens, everyone gets stressed out. What you do need to realise is that if you get stressed, you need to take a step back and come at it from a different perspective, whether that is with a new work routine, a new mindset, or after having a Netflix night because you couldn’t bear the thought of sitting at your desk. That’s okay. Do whatever you need to to be productive, and then smash your to-do list out of the park

“Stress can often come from big and daunting tasks, so if you give yourself some small wins” – Owen, 2nd Year Film Production

Sometimes it helps to combat stress with complete easy, achievable tasks – once you cross them off your list, you’ll be in a more productive and happy mindset to get started on the big stuff.

“Reading, drawing, writing, etc. Do whatever you feel is good for you” – Caitlin, 2nd Year Film and Television

If you get too overwhelmed and just need a break, participate in a hobby, or take some time for yourself. Do whatever makes you happiest. Even better, join a society and share that love for your hobby with other people! Taking a break from work can sometimes be the best thing you can do. It’s better to be positive and productive than negative and neglectful of your work.

“Reaching out to someone can be the best thing to help set your mind to a better state” – Charlotte Emily Price, 2nd Year Forensic Science

Contacting a friend or family member and just explaining the situation, why you’re stressed and genuinely just talking it out can be like a little therapy session. It’s super helpful to get out your frustrations, maybe have a little cry and get it out of your system. They can also offer you some helpful tips and advice. For me, it helped to contact my sister who had already been to university – she gave me some great tips on how to start off my dissertation and hit the ground running and I’m certainly thanking her for that now because I’m already ahead of where I need to be. It gave me breathing room – this could be exactly what you need. So talk to them, and tell them your worries and apply their advice to your studies. You’ll see how much more efficient your work can be.

“Lay off the energy drinks” – Beth Gulliver, English

This may seem a bit specific but coming from experience, all-nighters hopped up on energy drinks in the library does not lead to good work. In some cases it can even slow you down, because you’ll have to re-do all your mistakes and errors in the morning. This goes for food too: don’t eat rubbish! Eat decent food, it is quite literally food for thought. Fatty foods lead to a sluggish temperament and a lack of energy. Trust me when I say a healthy diet and a good nights sleep is crucial to a positive state of mind.

If you’re feeling like the workload is too much, or you’re just so stressed you feel like breaking down, please contact someone. You have friends and family, your personal tutor, your lecturers, and for support, you can go to the Student Wellbeing Centre. Don’t feel alone in your struggles, everyone gets stressed and it is not a fight you have to go through by yourself.