Stress Management

           After being a full time college student for 5 weeks I have really become used to the stress of assignments and exams; consequently things are starting to get easier for me. Now that I have a few exams out of the way, I have learned what study skills work best for me and what I need to do in order to balance my schoolwork, work, and social time. My first 3 weeks of college were very stressful because I had a few bad assignments and my grades were looking bad. I put my head down and I really have been working hard and have brought my grades back up to par. It has also been important for me to find something to do to take my mind off of work and school.

            My first two exams were in Arts and Humanities and College Algebra. In high school I used to be able to study the night before the test and still be able to do well. However I knew this would be a different story. Rather than putting all my studying off to the last minute I studied the entire week before for an hour and a half everynight. I found that doing this makes things way less stressful on you and allows you time to ask about things you didn’t get in class.  This strategy earned me two “A’s” on my exams and made me realize that with the right time management and study habits college doesn’t have to be as stressful as some people make it. Reliving stress can come from more ways than just changing your studying habits; this can be done with sports and hobbies.

I have found that it’s important to find things you enjoy and do them to your relieve stress. Just because you’re a full time college student doesn’t mean you can’t have other activities you enjoy. Making room for a sport or hobby is important because it takes your mind off of the stress of school and everyday life and allows you to release any stress or anger that has built up during the week. I always try to ride or race my dirt bikes on the weekend. This gives me something to look forward to on the weekends and not to mention it takes my mind off of everything I’m dealing with.

I have learned that procrastination is the most stressful thing you can do to yourself in college. Being a college student is stressful enough balancing school, work, sports, and friends, so you have to be able to balance out your work load and be responsible in your time management. The better organized you are and the better you think ahead the more success you are going to have. It’s amazing to me how small things like time management and not putting off everything to the last minute can really have a major impact on your overall stress level and success.