Five practical tips to survive exam week without having a mental breakdown.
There are plenty of underlying health disorders on college campuses, but none more prevalent than anxiety.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 80 percent of college students say they frequently suffer from anxiety. Especially around finals, stress is no stranger to the average university student, for 13 percent of students have been diagnosed with some sort of mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression.
Don’t be a statistic! Here are ten practical ways to fight anxiety and stress during the most stressful time of the year.
Avoid negative thoughts and moping.
Being alone and organizing your thoughts is often helpful for mental clarity, but not when they become negative or destructive. Stay positive and avoid picturing yourself in potential bad situations. Dwelling on a bad situation often just makes it worse.
Get enough sleep!
Blah, blah, blah, my mom has been telling me this for years, but apparently she’s been right. Receiving the proper amount of sleep is critical. According to the ADAA, your body needs more sleep when you’re stressed.
Limit caffeine and alcohol intake.
This is especially difficult surrounding exam week. After all, we think we need more caffeine to stay up late studying, and more alcohol to shake off the post-exam blues. However, it turns out that caffeine and alcohol both trigger anxiety and panic attacks. Drink water instead.
Exercise and stay healthy.
Exercise helps to decrease stress by reducing fatigue and improving your mental clarity. Exercising yields endorphins, which act as natural painkillers. These endorphins lead to better sleep and therefore less stress, according to the ADAA. Try and sneak thirty minutes of physical activity into your schedule everyday.
Accept what you have to do, and move on.
Easier said than done, right? Figure out what’s stressing you out, and make sure that you talk to someone if you feel that your anxiety is getting to be too much to handle.
