Tips, techniques and tricks to cope with stress when studying and friendships become too overwhelming and you’re struggling to see a way out.
Stress control habits
Adding small extras to your day to day life can really help when it comes to stress that constantly resurfaces. Try implementing some of these habits into your life and see which ones seems to stick and give you a layer of peace which enables to you to live a more fulfilling life.
- Meditation – choose a slot of time where it would be convenient to meditate, it could be in the morning when you wake up or in the evening before going to sleep or it could be at some point during the workday. When you notice your mood becoming more and more tense or angry or upset, see if it would be feasible to find a quiet space to meditate, or if not try to meditate as soon as it is appropriate. This can really help you reflect on a stressful situation that may have just happened, and gives you the mental space to continue with your day at your maximum potential.
2. Exercise – any sport can be great for relieving pent up emotions and stress. Some sports known for being relaxing are yoga, pilates, swimming, and other sports such as boxing can be great for relieving tension. Dance is also a great way to express emotion and any outdoor sports can really help calm your mind.
3. Therapy can be a really good option, whether you have a diagnosed anxiety disorder or not, it can be useful to seek external help. Bear in mind that this could be with a professional therapist or with a friend or family member who you find comforting to speak to about any issues. Consider regular meet ups or scheduled phone calls with those close to you to so you have a space to vent to with someone who you know genuinely cares and will listen.
Look at the following post for more techniques to help reduce stress: Best Mindfulness Techniques to Reduce Stress
Relationships
It can be tricky to realise if a friend isn’t treating you how you want to be treated, and it can take time to accept it. If you feel like you’re putting in more effort than you get back in a friendship, then consider slowly putting in less energy into that friendship. It can be emotionally draining to feel unwanted and not worth it, or to feel like you’re constantly the second option, without necessarily knowing it, it can heavily contribute to emotional stress.
Don’t give people the benefit of the doubt, at uni it can take a while to see who your true friends are, but the sooner you can remove negative relationships, the faster you can grow new positive ones. One of the biggest pros of being at university is the abundance of opportunities to meet new people, so take advantage of all the societies and events and connections you have open to you, lots of people feel alone at uni and it’s normal to want to meet new people no matter what year of uni you are in!
Alongside this, recognise who out of your friends from home are still enthusiastic to keep in touch with you. You’ll notice (or will have noticed) that some friends from home will naturally drift away as they’ve found new friends they’re more interested in, or they were maybe only your friend out of convenience. This is normal and happens to everyone multiple times in their lives. People naturally drift apart, especially when young and so many thing in life are constantly changing. Spot which friends really care about staying in contact, and make sure you also put in the effort to show them that you care too. Having a support network of people who have known you for longer than your uni friends can be vital during stressful times. When you’re feeling alone, it can be so comforting to remember the circle of people you have to contact and make you feel better.
If you feel like you’ve lost all of your circle of friends from home, then don’t worry, this means you will have plenty of time to get to know new people. It can feel really anxiety inducing to meet new people and put yourself in new social situations, but it will always be worth it in the long run if it means you can find people that make you feel loved whilst at uni.
Doing something for yourself
Throughout this page there’s been a big emphasis on trying new things, and I think it all stems back to the idea that when you try something different it opens up new doors and gives you a positive distraction from other things that may have been stressing you. If you’ve felt very overwhelmed by your course, it can be extremely beneficial to remember that this time in your life is not just about your degree and your social life, it’s also about discovering more about yourself. It can feel really relieving to realise that it is not only okay, but very stress-reducing to start a new hobby or activity. Even if you think it might end up being a waste of time, giving yourself a chance to explore things that are totally different to what you’re studying can be so impactful to your mental health. A lot of people come to university for their future career or because that’s what everyone else was doing, so a lot of people can feel really trapped and isolated in the chosen course. Sometimes all it takes is finding a new passion to help you feel more productive and enthusiastic about your uni life. Here are some example below (some may be a bit tricky to do at uni but I’ve included them anyway):
- Write a book
- Learn a craft such as crochet, knitting, drawing, painting etc.
- Bake or cook for pleasure rather than necessity
- Read
- Write book reviews/ film reviews
- Start a social media platform like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram etc.
- Join a performing arts club
- Learn a musical instrument
- Sport
- Go for hikes/join a hiking club
- Research and write a document on a topic that interests you
- Grow flowers or vegetables
