Back to School Blues? Top Tips for Coping with School Related Stress and Anxiety

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Back to School Blues? Top Tips for Coping with School Related Stress and Anxiety

Hi Natasha. I was wondering if you had any advice to help me relax and keep myself from becoming so stressed out. I recently started my second year in college and I’m taking a full class load and I can’t seem to relax, or keep myself from getting overly stressed out. I also suffer from high anxiety and I know its playing a role in my problem. I was hoping you would know of a way to help me keep calm and almost stress free.

Hi peace-love-blonde,

First of all, take three deep, fully conscious breaths, focusing on your inhalation, the little pause, and your exhalation. After, become aware of your mental/emotional state and simply let it be. Do not resist or block it out - jive with its energy, accept it. Repeat the breathing, then awareness, until you feel a bit more clear minded and relaxed.

I can relate to your situation. I myself am finishing up my 4th year, and I find more than anything that university/college can bring about very high levels of stress as we are pushed beyond our limits. However, if you develop good time management skills and stress coping strategies, you will leave university ready to take on anything!

Here are some tips:

Do not procrastinate. Do it now! Procrastination is the number one cause of stress. The longer you put something off, the longer you will have that nagging feeling that you need to take care of something. It’s kind of like peeing your pants and not cleaning it up - it gets itchy after a while.

Write everything down. Lists, lists, and more lists! When you have a thought or idea, write it down! Carry a little note book with you to write your thoughts. This will free your mind of unnecessary thinking (for the sake of remembering something) if you record it elsewhere. Have a large calendar on your wall to write important dates so you can see your term ahead and manage your time accordingly. Just get it out of your head and onto paper!

Learn to Say “No”. Do not take on more than you can handle. Less is more, and simplifying your life for the sake of your sanity is important. Don’t feel obligated to hangout with people if it takes up too much of your study time. Avoid volunteer opportunities unless you think you can put your all into them, or wait until summer. If your plate is already full, you will not be able to add more!

Get enough sleep! This is a must. If you suffer from anxiety this is probably already an issue for you. If it is really bad, you need to see your doctor for a prescription for sleeping pills until you can get a decent sleep routine. The following relaxation tips I will give you will add to this, and eventually you can come off the sleeping pills and use these methods instead. But maybe you sleep like a rock, which is great, and these tips will only help you more.

Do yoga! And the slower, the better. Any class that emphasizes relaxation is the key for you. While faster paced classes are great, oftentimes they rev you nervous system up when really you need to wind down. Find a good Yin or mellow Hatha class that you find relaxes you, and try to make it a regular habit, but don’t overload yourself.

Relax! Anytime you feel overwhelmed, try the breathing exercise I mentioned at the beginning of this article. Also, I recommend reading this blog post to teach yourself how to do full body relaxation in the morning and evening on your own. Light a candle and enjoy the time to yourself!

Love & Light,

~ Natasha