How to Deal with Stress in Healthy Ways

You must figure out how to cope with stress while also looking for ways to eliminate it, not to mention dealing with the thing that’s actually causing the stress.

Whether you're in high school, college, or university, stress can become a big part of your life. There’s the stress of balancing friends, family, and other commitments; having enough money; and maintaining good grades. Fortunately, there are many ways to deal with stress!

Strategies to help you deal with stress

Below is a list of ways you can try to deal with stress.

Get enough sleep

A lot of the stress can be the result of a lack of sleep. Just like your body, your brain can also get tired. By making sure that your brain is well-rested, you’ll be able to avoid the risk of being overtired and not being able to think properly while writing a paper late at night.

The ideal amount of sleep you’re supposed to get (for someone aged 17 to 24) every night is around eight hours. Napping is also a good way of getting the rest you need - even a short nap of 26 minutes will do the trick.

Practise self-care

Taking care of yourself is another important and effective way to deal with stress. Practising methods that will make you happy or calm you down in certain situations are valuable and can really help you keep from feeling overwhelmed.

For some people this can mean taking a hot bubble bath, watching an episode of your favourite TV show, eating a healthy snack, listening to music, or drawing.

Exercise

This may not be everyone’s favourite, but exercise does work. Whether you prefer to lift weights, run, go on long walks, or just do push ups in your room, exercising can have many positive effects. Not only does it make you physically stronger, but it can help clear your mind. Also, it releases endorphins which can reduce stress, help you feel more positive, and regulate your appetite.

Speaking of appetite, make sure you’re giving your body healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, rather than junk food. While the latter might taste good, it doesn’t benefit you in the long run. The average teenager should have up seven to eight servings of fruit and vegetables per day.

Make a to-do list

A really good way to stay on top of all your assignments and responsibilities is to take everything just one step at a time. It can be easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of everything that needs to be done, so it helps to make a list and check off the tasks as you go. In doing this, you turn all your big tasks into several smaller tasks, so they’re less daunting and more manageable.

Also, make sure you know your own limits because taking on too many things can result in added stress. Make sure you do a quick “mental health check” (by this I simply mean taking a minute to assess your physical and emotional health) before taking on extra tasks.

University resources

When you start university or college next fall, it’s likely that at some point you’ll deal with stress in one way or another. Fortunately, at the University of Waterloo there are a number of different resources that can help you de-stress and cope with everything you have going on.

Faculty events

Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts plans an end of term de-stress event. This term it included ornament decorating, cookie decorating, pizza, and even a visit from therapy dogs! This event comes at the end of the semester when everyone has exams and assignments and stress levels are high, which makes it the perfect time for an event like this.

In fact, every faculty has their own de-stressing events during exams breaks, too! Applied Health Sciences has a Therapy Farm, which brings in different animals as a petting zoo for students. And the Faculty of Engineering puts on a Purple Pancake Breakfast with free pancakes! On top of this, there are year-round events across campus for de-stressing, like anxiety workshops and yoga.

Counselling resources

Another very important resource is counselling services. Sometimes stress levels can become dangerous and even affect our physical and mental health. When this happens, it’s important to talk to someone, especially if you feel stuck or helpless. Stress is common, but it’s not something to take lightly.

It’s always important to take care of yourself and ensure you’re feeling healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. Discovering what your best methods for coping with stress are will go a long way. And of course, always remember you’re not alone and there are resources to help you cope with your stress.