Stress will hit everyone at some point whilst they're at university and have deadlines looming. However, it's something that affects everyone in different ways, and everyone has different ways of handling it, or not. I for one am someone who gets incredibly stressed when it comes to assignments and exams, and I can turn quite vile if I let it get on top of me too much. I'm aware it's not pleasant for those around me, and therefore I came up with techniques to help me handle my stress levels and keep me much calmer. They may not work for everyone, but I'm going to share them with you anyway just in case they do in some way.
Take A Break
This is by far the most obvious, but I tend to get so absorbed in focusing on my work and stressing when I don't understand it that I tend to completely forget to take a break and will go about 4 hours attempting to work but not actually getting very far with it. It's recommended that you take a 10 minute break for every 50 minutes that you work as that's the time period that your brain works best with, however, obviously this will different for different people. Therefore, whenever you get to the stage where you can't concentrate on what you're doing or you find yourself stressing because you don't understand it, take a break. Go and get a drink or some food or text a friend, just do something for 10-20 minutes to completely take your mind off your work so you can go back to it tackle it with a clear mind.
Get Some Fresh Air
If you're like me and get to stage where you go into complete overdrive because you forget to break, then my recommendation is to go for a walk or a run. Obviously this break will be longer than 10 minutes, I tend to aim for around half an hour to completely clear my head of all the stressed thoughts I have about my work. Not only will the fresh air wake you up after having been sat down for so long, but it will help you to relax and forget about everything for a while. Consequently, when you get back and go to continue with your work you'll be in a much better mind frame than you were previously, and much more likely to be able to tackle your work more effectively.
Set Yourself A Target
My friend Lydia introduced me to setting targets as it was something I hadn't really considered beforehand, but it's something that has turned out to really work for me. I'll choose a piece of work and tell myself how much I want to achieve in how long before I start, for example, I may want to do three paragraphs of my essay in an hour. By setting myself the target I tend to work much more efficiently, and find that I've completed the work I wanted to do in less than my allocated time. This is a particularly useful technique to use when you have somewhere to be at a certain time, or a certain TV programme you really want to watch, as you're working towards being able to do something, which is usually pretty big motivation for the majority of people.
Give Yourself A Reward
This is pretty similar to the last part of the previous technique. Aiming towards a reward is another great motivational technique. Whether it's a TV programme you want to watch or a massive bar of Dairy Milk if you finish the essay, knowing that unless you've done the work you're aiming to do you're not going to be able to watch it or have it is a surefire way to get your brain into gear.
Yoga
Relaxation is incredibly important when you're stressed as you need to clear your mind of all the negative energy in order to be able to focus properly. Similarly to getting fresh air, yoga is another fab way of doing this. I'm not talking going to a weekly yoga class, although you could if you wanted to, the beauty of yoga is that you can do it in the comfort of your own home. YouTube is filled with thousands of videos that yoga instructors upload for all abilities, so you just need to search around to find the ones that appeal to you the most and you find the most enjoyable. 20 minutes of yoga will put you in a brilliant mindset, as well as helping you get fitter. The beauty of yoga is that is also helps you with your breathing, which will help destress you as well once it's properly under control.
Spend Time With Friends
Like I mentioned in my homesickness post, your university friends will be going through exactly the same feelings as you, they just might not make them as obvious as you. It's highly likely that they too are going to be stressed about upcoming deadlines, so spending some time together is a great way to destress one another. Whether it's watching TV or cooking a meal together, having some time surrounded by your friends and away from all the work you have to do will take your mind off things and let you relax for the evening. Plus, being at university your friends are the most important people in your lives, so it's essential that you don't let stress and work get the better of you and that you still allow yourself to spend time with them and be yourself.
Downtime
Having some proper downtime to yourself is also vitally important. Whether it's reading a book or listening to some music, you need to ensure you have at least 30 minutes per evening completely to yourself. Some people may use this time to reflect, but I prefer to text relax and forget about everything that's going on around me. It really is important that you let yourself have some you time, so don't let anyone make you feel selfish for wanting to do it, one of the most important things in life is to love yourself and look after yourself, and having some time alone is a fantastic way to destress and trust me, you'll feel so much better for it the following morning.
Overall, there are hundreds of different ways to destress and relax during busy time periods, but it's up to you as a person to try them and see which work best for you. You need to ensure that you do spend time relaxing during a busy day or week, otherwise you'll stress yourself out even more and the whole situation will end up escalating and turning out a lot worse than it would have done if you'd simply had some time away from the workload.
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