How to cope with stress

It's the same story at the end of every term: you have a headache, you get mad for no reason, you're tired and you think you won't do well. Bad news: you're stressed!

Here are a few useful tips to help you better cope with stress.

• Sufficient sleep, proper nutrition and regular sports activities will help plenty.
  
  
• Set a schedule and make a list of your priorities. You're not a superhero: plan your work and studies by listing all you have to do and separate it into doable chunks in your agenda. If you do a little bit each day, you'll get it all done before the deadline.
  
  
• Make time for leisure. Your favourite band is in town? The latest Spielberg movie just came out? It's your friend's birthday? Allow yourself some guilt-free leisure time.
  
  
• Talk about what you're going through with your school buddies; they're in the same situation as you and might very well boost your morale when you're feeling overwhelmed by things. Keep your sense of humour and don't take things too seriously-remember, there's always vacation!
  
  
• When you feel the anxiety begin to mount, breathe deeply, listen to your favourite song, go outside for some air or rest for a few minutes. Relax!
  
  
• Know how to reward yourself for your achievements and accept your weaknesses. You learn something from every experience-failures as well as successes. During stressful periods, avoid competitive people. Don't compare your performance to that of others but to your own (your efforts and improvements).
  
  
• Keeping a journal is a good way to record your emotions and reactions to different situations and life experiences. It's an excellent way to detect stressful situations and gain better control over them, provided you read your journal often.

Lastly, good stress management combined with well-planned work will ensure a less traumatic end of term! Properly controlled stress can even be constructive, giving you a blast of energy and motivation during times when your workload is heavy.

Developing techniques to better manage pressure will give you a better attitude not only towards your studies, but towards your personal life as well.