Monday, May 3, 2010

Stress in student life - III

College time is one of the most interesting time of life where you can discover your own self and your hidden potentials. This is the time to experiment and choose a path that will take you to the top. So follow these simple tips to de stress yourself --

1. Plan your schedule. Yes, boring as it may sound, but this is the best way to plan your work, study, assignments, presentations etc. Get the right information from the start. Be clear about the kind of assignments, presentations that you are required to give. Most of the universities follow a fixed academic calendar. Get a copy of it and refer to it when planning your work. Most of the teachers give adequate time for handing in assignments --- be sure to give it on time to avoid last minute hiccups. If you are on time, you will not have to run around them alter seeking extensions. Make a realistic timetable and make sure to follow it.

2. Work on your weakest point. This is very important. You must know the area where you are lagging. Some students are good in written work. Some are better in oral presentations. Take time to look for your shortcomings. Take the help of friends and family to recognize yours and work around those shortcomings. There may be six or seven subjects in a semester. Instead of leaving the harder one to the last – work on it more than others. This way you will be saved the panic attacks at the last minute.

3. Prioritize. It is important to be able to differentiate between important tasks and not so important tasks. There will a time when you need to make hard choices. You should be able to make realistic assessments of consequences. It is your choice to whether you want to your assignment or go for the movie. Whatever decision you make will have effect on how you make further progress in your college. Needless to say, handing over assignment should be more important than going for the movie.

4. Develop a stress busting hobby. As said before, it is the duty of a student pay adequate attention to their studies, but at the same time, it is equally important to have a well balanced life which can lead to all round development. There are so many extra curricular and co curricular activities in any college. You can choose any one of them and develop yourself in it. Use this activity when you are stressed out or are unable to concentrate on your studies. This could be in form a a sport, dramatics, singing, dancing or any other enjoyable activity which can make you feel happy again.

5. Make a group: It is very important to have like minded people or people whose company you enjoy around you. Find yourself some good friends on whom you can depend on. Act as each other’s cushions during difficult times. Help each other out and most importantly, give each other a good advice. It is good to have some people Loneliness can make the challenges of your new life seem much worse.

6. Stick to a healthy lifestyle. It is important to take care of your health when you are working hard. A healthy body keeps stress away and gives rise to a healthy mind. A good diet can work wonders and lift your mood and help in coping up with the pressures. Avoid using alcohol and drugs as a way to cope with stress, as these can negatively affect your mood as well as your health Yoga and meditation are very helpful activities for managing stress.

7. Manage your sleep. In one of the famous dialogues in the mystery “ The Bourne identity” – the protagonist who is a secret agent shares his secrets with a partner and frequently repeats that “Rest is a Weapon”. And this is true in our normal lives as well. Sleep deprivation can cause irreparable damage to our health and work if continued for a long time. As a student, when you are required to work under multiple pressures, having a good sleep at night is an advantage you can use effectively.