Healthy Ways to Deal With Stress

Exam season means stress, but you can handle stress in a healthy, proactive way. Just follow these tips!

Whether you're in high school, college, or university, stress can become a significant part of your life. When you're balancing your relationships, finances, academics, health, and other commitments all at the same time, anxieties are bound to arise. However, it's essential to your health and wellbeing that you adopt healthy methods to combat your stress. Here are a few simple tactics you can use to make the university experience as stress-free as possible!

1. Get enough sleep

A lot of the stress you experience might be the result of a lack of sleep. Just like your body, your brain can also become tired and overworked. By making sure that your brain is well-rested, you'll be able to avoid the risk of burnout, allowing you to work through lengthy tasks such as a research paper or an assignment. As a university student, getting a full eight hours of sleep each night isn't always attainable, so allocating some of your daytime to taking a nap might work well for you. Napping is actually a pretty good way of getting the rest you need — even a short 30-minute power nap could do the trick!

2. Practice self-care

Taking care of yourself is another important and effective way to deal with stress. Practicing methods of maintaining your happiness or calming yourself down in certain situations can really help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

This could mean taking a hot bubble bath, watching an episode of your favourite TV show, trying out a new recipe, or spending some time with friends. Do whatever makes you feel most at ease but ensure you're managing your time effectively and enjoying relaxation in moderation — it's easy to get carried away and binge a whole season of a show if you don't limit yourself!

3. Exercise

Whether you prefer to lift weights, go on long walks, or just do push-ups in your room, exercising can have several positive effects. Not only does it make you physically stronger, but it can help clear your mind 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! Whether you are new to the fitness lifestyle or you're a natural born athlete, Waterloo has some amazing athletic and recreation options for everyone!

4. University resources

When you start university or college, it is likely that at some point you'll deal with stress in one way or another. Fortunately, at Waterloo there are several different resources that can help you de-stress and look after your mental health. On top of this, there are year-round events across campus to help soothe your mind, like anxiety workshops, therapy puppies, and yoga.

Another very important resource is counselling. Most universities also have counselling services on campus, which is an amazing resource that helps you to get perspective and come up with a game plan to deal with your feelings. Sometimes stress levels can become dangerous and even affect your 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 deal and cope with your stress.