By: Katie Giannetto
After midterms ending and schedules for spring semester are being built, a lot of people are stressed. It’s stressful when everything is on your mind all at once. We need to be able to take care of ourselves physically as well as mentally. Here are a few tips to be able to navigate stress while in college.
Resources
There are many resources available to every Baruch student. Feeling stressed about schedules? Go to BOSS or peer advisors. Need help with studying or don’t understand something? Go to SACC. Need to talk out your feelings or need help with personal goals? Go to the counseling center. Professors, advisors, and peers are here at Baruch to help you and guide you to do your very best. It is important to make sure you have good grades and get your assignments in on time but your priority should be your mental health.
Stress Factors
College is stressful and oftentimes a lot of work. It is okay to feel overstimulated with an overload of work or just too many classes. Some students also have part time jobs or internships on top of having schoolwork and that’s commendable. Always make sure to ask for what you need. You never know if they’ll say yes if you never ask. You may have an increase in responsibility, lack of time management, as well as changed eating habits. Make sure to prioritize you and get help when needed.
Outside Stress
Outside of school I’ve even found myself stressed. These are usually things I cannot control but they do ultimately bring stress and affect my schoolwork. These are things such as family or friends, job, and sometimes even depression. For help when wanting to talk about this, the counseling center is always there to help. Since this can’t be controlled we must find solutions for them. Whether using de-stress solutions or just trying to solve the problem, it always helps me to confide in someone. Usually it’s just a friend but as long as you have someone to talk to or even just journaling it usually helps with the stress.
De-Stress Solutions
It is recommended to do things for you so that you aren’t so involved in school. Some tips to calm down are mediating, journaling, and maybe even taking a walk. It is always good to get away from doing schoolwork and just hang out with friends or family. You can also do things alone such as watching a show or movie, doing something you love to do, or listening to music. These things all help you to relax and give yourself a break from schoolwork.
Studying Habits/Tips
Studying may be stressful but it is something you have to do. It is helpful to not focus on one topic for too long, that way you take breaks in between. It gives your brain a resting period. Just like organization can be helpful when it comes to when assignments are due, it is also helpful with studying habits. You can make a schedule for how long you will stay on each topic for, that way you aren’t on it for too long. I have used the app flora as it helps to ensure I stay off my phone but also not to stay on a topic for too long.
When looking back at notes, you’ll thank your past self for organizing them for you. Quizlet is a resource used to study for memorization but khan academy is used to quiz you or even for extra help in areas such as math. Kahoot is also useful when trying to quiz yourself in a competition with your friends. Sometimes these study tips won’t help, and that’s okay. Study groups with peers can be formed in order to bounce ideas off of each other, help each other, or even to quiz each other.
Organization
I think the most important takeaway from studying habits is organization, this differs from person to person but it is most helpful. The use of google docs, google calendar, and google sheets has always been helpful when it comes to my organization. Google docs is used to take my notes and used for my assignments, google calendar is used for due dates and class times, and google sheets is used for additional due dates or reminders. I often make a pdf out of everything and add them to folders on my computer to keep everything from one subject together. I make sure my notes are detailed and are kept in order so then I can go back to them when I am studying.
College can be stressful, I often find myself stressed. The recent midterms and scheduling had me overly stressed at one point. The use of the resources around me, de-stress solutions, studying habits, and organization have helped me to prioritize me and my mental health. I will continue to use them as a way to help myself and I hope you will too!