What Can Students Do About Stress?

What can students do?

Breathe. Eat as well as you can, sleep and exercise daily, preferably in fresh air. Take a few minutes to listen to your favourite music, go for a brisk walk. This is basic advice which you will have heard before. It also works.

Talk to your tutors both in your department and in Learning Resources / Learning Support.

If you are so stressed that you are becoming unwell please talk to your GP. It would probably also be a good idea to see a student counsellor. If they greet you with a saccharine smile, talk to you as if you are 5 years old and tell you that they understand everything you may want to head for the hills 🙂 but there are some very good people working on University campuses so please at least try. It takes courage to do something, to go for help. You may be fortunate and find the help that you need on your first attempt but if not you lose nothing by trying (except the stress of a failed attempt – keep going – please).

In the UK there are all sorts of organisations which help people who suffer from stress, depression and specific illnesses or traumatic life events. If you can’t face talking to someone on the phone email or check out their websites – there is a lot of really good information out there and some very helpful forums where people can help each other.

You will need to find a balance between getting some help and getting on with your life and work. You don’t want stress or illness to become your career or to allow it to define you. However, if it is severe you may have to focus on it for a time in order to get through it and become able to take your life up again.