The college student’s routine is full of challenges. After all, at this time, one has to be flexible in order to balance personal and academic life.

But not everyone can manage the situation in the best possible manner, experiencing stressful and pressured situations that can impact their mental health.

With this in mind, we have prepared this article to present some practical tips that will greatly contribute to minimizing this problem and making your academic journey easier and healthier.

Happy reading!

Recognizing signs of stress

Stress is a physiological reaction of the organism to demanding situations, but if excessive or chronic stress can create different symptoms and signs that influence both the body and the mind. So, it is necessary to diagnose it to implement adequate control measures and thus maintain well-being and quality of life.

Signs of stress can be divided into physical, behavioral and academic. Learn more about each of them below!

Physical

• extreme weight loss or gain;
• manifestation of panic or excessive anxiety;
• lack of personal hygiene;
• frequent occurrence of illnesses;
• injuries or marks on the body.

Behavioral

• irritability or impulsivity;
• frequent crying;
• manifestations of anger;
• isolation;
• demonstrations of apathy;
• expressions of hopelessness;
• indicators of suffering.

Academic

• loss of quality in the activities carried out;
• increased absence from classes;
• constant requests for extension of deadlines;
• displays of aggression towards teachers and classmates.

Coping strategies are important for sustaining emotional and mental equilibrium. Thus, when you recognize the symptoms listed above, you should adopt measures that will not only ease tension but also induce a sense of dynamism, which will enable you to confront the challenges of daily life with more calmness and emotional intelligence.

Self-care strategies

To improve your health, well-being and quality of life — and thus reduce stress during your academic career — you can implement some practices. Follow along!

Practice physical activities

Exercising can help reduce depression and anxiety, as well as improve self-esteem. There are several options, such as running, walking, yoga, swimming, and weight training — just find the one that suits you best or that you enjoy the most.

Develop a balanced routine

A balanced routine is necessary to maintain mental health. Therefore, create a routine that includes time for work , studies, healthy eating, and moments of rest and leisure.

Maintain a good sleep routine

There is no doubt about the importance of sleep for mental health. After all, this time is essential for the body to recover from daily stress. The ideal is to sleep between seven and eight hours a night.

Cultivate good relationships

By cultivating healthy relationships with family, friends and college colleagues, you can gain relevant emotional support to help you deal with stressful situations.

Seek professional help

If you have experienced any of the symptoms and think you can no longer handle anxiety, stress or depression, then seek advice from an educated mental health specialist — i.e., psychologist or psychiatrist.

Such professionals are skilled in managing emotional issues and establish useful means of handling barriers found within the process of graduation.

Time management and organization

The accumulation of activities can be directly associated with ineffective time management — or even a lack thereof. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze what is a priority and check whether you are not taking on more tasks than you can fit into your routine.

In this case, you can use some strategies, such as using a daily planner with the help of a physical diary, planner or smartphone apps. You can also create a study plan, with regular breaks for rest and leisure — like the Pomodoro technique .

The important thing here is to maintain a balanced routine that helps keep pressure and stress under control.

Seeking support and resources

Ideally, the college must have an organized support system for students. When psychological help is provided by the institution itself to students, the process becomes easier — and this assistance is crucial for problem identification and tackling them more forcefully.

You might want to inquire whether your college has trained counselors, like educational counselors or psychologists, available for students. These professionals can guide you in managing stress and coping with anxiety through healthy means.

The college can arrange separate appointment times for these professionals that students can attend to discuss problems and receive further guidance that’s more suitable to their needs.

The professionals on the team are prepared to support students, with the sensitivity to identify when something is not right — welcoming communication, with information about the resources offered.

Another thing you can look into is the institution’s policies and how it works to promote a healthy environment. Check if there are open channels of communication between students, teachers, and administrative staff, such as emails, discussion groups, and other means of maintaining an ongoing dialogue. This will allow you to feel more comfortable expressing your doubts, fears, and concerns.

Many colleges can also promote regular meetings between students and teachers to discuss academic and emotional issues, in addition to seeking to create a study schedule that allows for the completion of academic activities, as well as the development of other activities — with time left over for rest and leisure.

As we have seen, it is essential that university students prioritize mental health and seek support when necessary, in addition to creating a culture of care and mutual support within the academic community.

When you identify signs of stress, be sure to put into practice the tips presented in this post to maintain physical and psychological balance, in addition to counting on the help of a qualified professional..