I asked students how they handle stress
And their advice helped a lot
Its that time of the year when my stress capacity is pushing its max limit. Sometimes college, and life in general, can be a huge weight on your shoulders. There have been so many times when I feel like that weight has turned me into a pancake. It gets too heavy and I just don’t know how to handle it.
Life – 1, Me – 0
In my most stressful times I get super tempted to just go up to random people and ask for life advice. With finals just around the corner, I felt as if it was actually time I took that step.
Audrey Miller, Junior, Architectural Studies
What do you do when you are stressed beyond belief?
When I am stressed beyond belief it is usually because I am worrying about how I will get things done for the future, so it helps me to take a step back and only focus on one task at a time rather than having every thought and worry run through my head. When that doesn’t help and the stress is paralyzing I resort to YouTube mediation walk-through videos. The guides put me in a better and more serene place than where I started.
What is your biggest motivator?
Right now, my biggest motivator is making it to graduation day. It’s been a long educational road, and I finally have a direction to go in, so getting to the destination is what makes it worth keeping on for me. Also, I feel as though getting through college is something I can tell my kids about someday. I hope to be able to teach them perseverance and positive work ethics.
Mark Stinley, Sophomore, Psychology & Neuroscience
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How do you deal with distractions?
I usually give in to distraction pretty easily, but to combat distraction, I listen to alpha sound waves. They help you focus while studying.
What are your favorite three songs to listen to while you study?
1. To Cure All Ails – Shakey Graves
2. English House – Fleet Foxes
3. Cooking Up Something Good – Mac Demarco
Chloe Ghirardi, Junior, Accounting, Finance, Marketing
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What is your favorite pick me up when you’re overwhelmed?
I like to go to Flagstaff and watch the sunset when it’s nice out. If not, exercising helps me relax.
What are some key study tips?
Try to start studying as early as you can. This way you can spread out the material and it doesn’t seem too bad.
Rebecca Martin, Sophomore, English Writing
What is your favorite down time when you’re stressed out?
I typically prefer to exercise, get outside if I can, or listen to music/watch something calming on TV.
Some tips to manage a heavy workload:
Time management and organization is definitely key. I always try to map out what needs to be done and to figure out which has top priority.
Just remember the stress is temporary but it is important to manage it so you don’t find yourself in the pancake category.
Original illustrations drawn for The Tab by David Pirozzi