Stress in your studies: Our tips for coping with stress

The cliché of the chilled student with days filled with endless amounts of time is long history.
Studying has become a full-time job with the introduction of the bachelor’s or master’s degree, and many students can tell you a thing or two about the effects of the current system. Stress, excessive demands and pressure are now part of everyday life at universities. No matter what your stress trigger is in your studies, you can do something about it with these tips.

If you are constantly under pressure and suffer from the effects of too much stress, your body automatically reacts with very specific symptoms. This has to do with the fact that stress leads to the activation of your sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the autonomic nervous system. Your body is prepared for the fight or flight response with the help of the body’s own cortisol, cortisone, adrenaline and noradrenaline. In the short term, this makes sense and represents a completely natural reaction of the body that has ensured our survival for generations. But if the body is constantly overwhelmed with this hormone cocktail and lacks the balance through the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, you are constantly trimmed for flight. This, has consequences for your health and well-being. In the short term and in the long term, you may experience these physical and psychological symptoms:

When stress takes over you, it’s often not so easy to find a way to release it on your own. However, the feeling that you are able to do something about it, is the first and most important step. We have summarized for you which points you should observe, when you’re feeling really weighed down. The good news is that you will definitely be able to better the situation:

• You’re giving up breaks to be able to do more: This is a fallacy. Your body is not a machine and even they, need to be serviced every now and then. To avoid a total breakdown, you should give yourself regular breaks, especially during exam periods. Often, learning is much easier after you’ve had a breath of fresh air outside. Here, you can find some additional study tips.
• You take on too much: Maybe you’re the kind of person who has trouble saying no, who has a hard time making realistic schedules or estimating how much you can really accomplish in a certain amount of time. But even your day, only has 24 hours. If it means you don’t have to stress yourself out with a bunch of lectures and a ridiculous schedule from day one, allow yourself an extra semester.
• Your ambition is ruining your healthy lifestyle: Are you active every now and then or do you often sit all day? Do you eat a balanced diet or stay alive with frozen pizzas? Do you get together with friends often, or does your life consist mainly of climbing mountains of books? Determination is, of course, an important quality for success. But especially during stressful periods, regeneration and balance are most important to actually achieve goals. If your stressful lifestyle is a permanent condition, your body will most likely start ringing the alarm bells very soon – if it isn’t already doing so.
• You prefer to do things alone rather than in groups or with others: Yes, group work isn’t always easy and sometimes the motivation of other students is lacking. But the solution can’t be that you do everything alone. Team up with people who are similar to you and with whom you can work well with and share the load. This will make some exams easier to handle.
• You feel pressured by others expectations: It’s not always easy when your family or others around you keep a close eye on your personal performance. Nonetheless, health comes first. You should never put it at risk.

People cope with stress differently and for different lengths of time. While some are able to hide their suffering, others develop exam anxiety and may even be pushed to the edge of dropping out of their studies. To prevent this from happening, you should take the following tips to heart so that you can enjoy your education, rather than suffer from it.

Ciao stress – now you know what matters. For more study tips for students from MILESTONE Apartments, check out our MILESTONE Blog.