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Coping With School Stress: How We Do It


By Shreya Deo

With the introduction of May in a few weeks, a new-found source of excitement hits students nationwide- one month to summer break. But along with this excitement, stress is also a worrying factor for many, especially in higher grade levels.

Today, for the first blog on this website, I would like to talk to you about coping with stress as someone who has gone through it several times.

What is stress?

Stress. It's a familiar word to most people. Exam stress, grades stress, sports stress, and extracurricular stress. It has very recently taken over a large chunk of student life. Earlier, kids had adequate time to study and free time, which was a balanced state of mind. However, the raising expectations from kids makes it given that stress levels will rise, which is entirely okay.

Stressing over something is not at all a bad thing. In fact, it shows how much you care about what you are about to do. For example, let's say you have an important test tomorrow, and even if you have studied well, you still need to work on it. That is entirely valid, and I proudly say that I have gone through that before every test. So again, it shows how much you care. But stress, as we all have heard, can affect your mental health.

Stressing to a limit is okay. It gives you margins and helps you stay on track. However, stressing over small things over and over again is harmful to your mental health. Slowly, over time, you will become so engulfed in a stressful situation that you will forget to live life. We all like an easy life, right? So why not embrace stress? Why not make the activity you are stressing over something you look forward to? 

The blocking technique

Starting off with a physical tracker. One of the leading causes of stress is that it stays in your mind. If you give the reason for pressure to come out in a physical form, trust me, you will become much more sorted and relaxed, even though you have tons of homework. I use a Google Calendar, which I pinned on my browser. Whenever I am assigned a new assignment to complete for the day, I create a block for the particular assignment and color-code it. If I have an upcoming test, I will also block that. What this does are two things. Organization and satisfaction. When you have the information in front of you blocked neatly, it is less hectic than all the information in your mind. Secondly, whenever the day passes, I like to see all the assignments I had that day. The satisfaction you get from seeing the work you have completed is absolutely unmatched. 

Entertainment+Work 

Secondly, entertainment is key. You all have heard that you should have a designated study space. And when you are studying, you should keep your phone and any other distractions away. These are all excellent ways of staying focused, but there are better ways. Trust me when I say nothing is better than watching YouTube after finishing homework. I also like using my phone for entertainment. So why not integrate the two? If the stress is piling up from all the work you are getting, try incorporating an activity you enjoy while doing it. I am a HUGE Bollywood fan, so whenever I complete my assignments, I have songs playing on a speaker in my room. This makes time go by much faster and makes the situation less stressful by only focusing on your work. If you go for runs, listen to an audio recording of the subject you need to review. This also saves time, as you are multitasking.

Chill!

Lastly, it's okay to chill. Just know that just because you are taking a break doesn't mean that you are wasting time. I often feel like I could be doing something more productive, even when I take a small 10-minute break to watch an episode of the Kapil Sharma Show (Yes, I am a complete Bollywood fan). What's important is to realize that we all need a break sometimes. Don't let anyone tell you something like, "Don't act like you need a break. You have nothing to stress about." Often, others don't understand what you are going through, and you don't need to explain yourselves. Instead, allow time for your day. If you have an exam, spend time on the weekend reviewing materials. Weekends shouldn't be a total slack of a day but don't bombard yourself with work either. Work according to your strengths. I am more of a mid-morning type, so after I wake up on Saturday around 9am, I shower, eat, and then sit for two hours to do a very light review session of whatever is coming the following week. In the afternoon, I usually watch a Bollywood movie :) or cook. If your schedule is balanced like this, you will always feel relaxed and give yourself time to think. Our brain is also a muscle, and it gets tired too. If you need to take a power nap, go for it. Just remember, there is a difference between being lazy and taking time out to take care of yourself.

Conclusion

Now, with all these techniques in mind, these will not necessarily work for everyone. Some people simply can't multitask, and that is entirely okay. Find a method that suits your skill set and what you enjoy. If you would like to personally contact us to ask for suggestions on what study style we would recommend, please feel free to. And remember, whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, push through that phase. And trust me, after taking those 3 tests in a day and getting an A on all of them, the happiness you will get at that moment cannot be replicated by anything else in the world because you know the amount of effort you put into that. So go out there, chill, and remember, have fun!


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