Stress toolkit for students
Healthy U is a student group of trained volunteers dedicated to educating fellow students on important health-related matters. This article was prepared by a Healthy U student volunteer.
Stress can pop up in our lives at any point; sometimes it’s when we expect it, like exam season, and sometimes we do not see it coming, like a worldwide pandemic that flips our lives upside down. Regardless of the situation, it can be very challenging to handle stress without the proper tools! It’s important to develop strategies to combat these feelings so that we’re well-equipped when they present themselves.
Below are some strategies to help guide your stressful thoughts:
What are you grateful for? When our minds start to wander to the worst case scenarios, it can feel impossible to regain control. Try listing a few things that you are grateful for to help reign in that wandering mind!
Work out your senses! Give your brain a bit of a work out by exercising your awareness of your senses. Practicing mindfulness can help to reduce stress and even help you focus.
Remind yourself of how great you are! In stressful moments, it is easy to feel like your self-esteem has taken a beating. When stress is something that we deal with often, like in a university setting, it’s crucial to develop strategies to maintain a high level of self-worth. Try writing down some affirmations in your phone or on a post-it note on your mirror so that they’re fresh in your mind when stress creeps in.
Preparation and practice. Just like when giving a presentation, you can deal with stress by preparing notes; print out this post or jot down a few of your favourite strategies in your phone so that you are prepared with your tools when stressful moments arise. These strategies are great to use in the moment, but will achieve the most success when exercised so that they’re tailored to your current situation.
Check out our Guide to Stress and Anxiety package to learn about even more stress reducing strategies.