If you are a college student, then you have probably experienced some form of stress at some point. Stress is a strain that is either mental, emotional, or physical, as a result of tense or strenuous circumstances. Effects of stress on the body can include insomnia, headaches, soreness, energy loss, lack of appetite, upset stomach, and even depression. Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate a form of stress management or learn to avoid stress altogether. The following tips will provide some ways to help control and prevent future stress.

1. Practice time management

Speaking as a college student myself, poor time managementcan be extremely stressful. Many of us are guilty of bad time management, whether you are a college student or not. I am guilty of procrastination as much as the next person, but I have discovered a few ways to prevent it. Having a physical and electronic calendar is very helpful. Writing due dates and reminders down physically on a calendar and placing it somewhere it can be seen daily will help to keep you on track. Also, having an electronic calendar helps because you will, in addition to having the physical reminder, have the digital reminder through an alert on your phone or desktop.

Some people like to set their clocks ten minutes early just to always be ten minutes ahead. I use a similar method when marking down important things in my schedule. Writing down a due date a day early or creating two reminders at two different times for an important due date helps to always keep me ahead of my schedule and prevent procrastination.

In the long run, my ideal method for time management is to maintain a detailed schedule. For me, having a detailed schedule means planning significant things like studying, homework, jobs, chores, etc. daily with their own time periods. Plotting a specific time to complete things that need to be done every day helps to keep me focused and orderly with daily tasks and minimizes stress.

2. Create balance

Being in college means that you have a lot of different obligations that can sometimes be conflicting. It is good to be focused on the main things such as studying, completing homework, and writing papers, but sometimes it can just be overwhelming. Creating a balance that divides your work and personal life is vital. Even when there is not much time, you have to create time for yourself. Everybody needs time to relax, to unwind, and to simply just kick back. By giving yourself time to relax, it can rejuvenate and restore you back to your greater potential.

This correlates back to incorporating good time management. With proper time management, you will have time to make time for yourself. With a proper balance in your college life, you will notice a lot less stress. So, go ahead and make time for yourself. Think of it as a well-deserved reward for all your efforts and hard work towards your studies.

3. Get plenty of rest

Believe it or not, this is one of the most important things. You cannot expect to function properly and reach your highest potential without a sufficient amount of sleep. Although it may take some time, you have to train your body to go to sleep around a certain time in order to get enough sleep. There are a lot of great things to help you reset your internal sleep clock. Your age, health, and some other factors help to formulate the proper amount of sleep your body requires. There are some awesome sleep apps that help determine what time you need to go to sleep and shut off your phone and other distractions to help you receive the best sleep possible.

As expected, most college students do not get the right amount of sleep. College student are known for having some of the worst sleeping habits. Sleep deprivation has effects of memory, concentration, and the ability to retain information, which many college students do not realize is due to insufficient sleep. In simpler terms, sleep is important for reducing stress.

Stress is an important dilemma that the majority of college students face on a day-to-day basis. College students face a numerous amount of stressors such as exams, finals, projects, papers, due dates, and more. Without proper management, stress can affect a college student’s overall ability to succeed; therefore it is so important to control or avoid stress altogether. There are many more additional methods for managing your stress outside of the tips provided. To be a successful student, you must be at your overall best, and stress can act as an inhibitor.