Written by Kayla (she/her), student
Let's be real, life can be stressful.
But stress doesn’t have to take over your life! Here are some effective ways to manage stress and feel more at ease.
Understanding stress
Dealing with stress is something everyone experiences, whether you’re working, studying, or just trying to keep up with life.
Overcoming stress involves understanding why you feel stressed and how it affects you physically, emotionally, and behaviourally. This means recognizing when you’re stressed and taking a step back to consider a few things.
Identifying stressors can help you figure out what's really going on and how to deal with it in a way that works for you. I like to ask myself these questions.
- What are the specific things that are making me stressed right now?
- Why are these things stressing me out?
- What can I do to make these things more manageable?
One strategy that helps me answer these questions is by writing them down. Talking through them with friends is also super helpful!
Here’s how I might approach these questions.
- I’m stressed about my grades not being as high as I’d like.
- I feel stressed because I want to maintain a certain grade average for program requirements.
- I’m going to talk to my professors and classmates for extra guidance and prepare as much as I can for future assessments, scheduling out time to specifically focus on the content I’m less confident in. By working hard and asking for help, I’m hoping to get higher grades in the future.
After answering these questions, I might still feel stressed about my grades, but understanding where my stress is coming from and creating a plan to tackle it helps to make it more manageable. There’s no immediate fix to stress, but there are strategies that can help how you approach it. Try taking five minutes right now to answer what is making you stressed, why, and what you can do about it!
Dealing with burnout
You’ve probably heard the word “burnout” before. It happens when stress builds up over time, leaving you feeling totally drained. Burnout can lead to exhaustion, feeling disconnected, trouble focusing, and irritability.
Sometimes I take breaks but still feel drained. That’s usually a sign of burnout — because even when I stop working, my mind keeps racing with stress and responsibilities. So how do you effectively deal with burnout?
The main cause of burnout for me was trying to juggle too much. Stepping back and lessening my workload made a big difference. Remember that it’s okay to give yourself permission to slow down!
I work multiple part-time jobs, so when things get busy, I try to get shifts switched or covered. In the past, I even left one of my jobs altogether — and honestly, it was the best thing I could’ve done for my stress. It gave me more time for school, and more time to spend with my friends.
When I’m feeling overwhelmed academically, I reach out to professors or my academic advisor to explore solutions. This can look like asking for an extension or dropping a class. I once dropped a course, and it felt like that meant I was falling behind — but I realized there’s no such thing as falling behind when everyone’s path is different! I ended up taking the class online during a work term when I had more time, and it actually worked out better that way!
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, your judgement can become clouded, so let’s take some deep breaths and think from an outside perspective. What would you say to someone else who was burnt out from juggling as much as you are? What advice would you give them? Write it down and consider following your own advice!
There’s no one “right” way to go about school or life and it’s important to do what you need to take care of yourself.
Staying motivated
You're stressed because you have a million things to do, but you don’t feel motivated to get them done, which is only stressing you out more — sound familiar?
One thing that's really helped me stay motivated is shifting my mindset. Instead of thinking, “I’m too tired to go to class,” I’ll try, “I’m tired, but I’m excited to learn something new in class”. This change might seem silly at first, but by thinking positively, I was able to look forward to things I once dreaded.
As a student, it is so important to find excitement in learning. It can be easy to get caught up in negative talk about school, but being excited about what you’re learning makes a huge difference. I really enjoy the classes that I’m taking and feel lucky that I can study topics I’m passionate about.
And this doesn’t just apply to school — you can apply a positive mindset to any goals you’re trying to achieve. As much as I plan and schedule ahead, what truly motivates me is focusing on what I like about what I’m doing.
One time, I found myself in a literature class with content that was really uninteresting to me. While I dreaded going to this class, I knew that there was still a lot I could learn from it. One of my goals is to improve my writing skills, so with each essay or paper that I write, I like to think about how great it is that I get to receive feedback from others. In this class, I got good practice writing about unfamiliar topics, and that was something to look forward to that was challenging. I always welcome the opportunity to learn and grow from every experience, and this means embracing challenges, even ones that aren’t as exciting!
Trust me, by finding reasons to do your assignments beyond “because its due”, motivation becomes a lot easier to find! Think about one deadline that you have coming up, and think about what you can gain from it, and why you want to complete it for yourself!
Taking care of yourself
When you have a lot on your plate, taking care of yourself can seem less of a priority, but prioritizing yourself can actually help relieve stress. Doing simple things like exercising, getting enough sleep, eating well, and practicing self-care can have a huge impact on your mental health.
Some ways that I practice self-care include journalling, going for walks, and tracking how much water I drink.
If you’re a student, then this is your reminder that your mental health is just as important as your grades! Find more tips for looking after your mental health.
It's okay to ask for help
Stress can be rooted in deeper issues you might be facing, and that’s okay! Whatever you may be struggling with, you don’t have to go through it alone. If you have people in your life who you feel comfortable talking to, such as close family or friends, it can be helpful to talk through what you’re going through with them.
If you’re searching for support in high school, you can reach out to your guidance counsellor, or a child and youth worker at your school. You can also find some mental health resources for youth.
When you're a student at Waterloo, we have health and well-being supports available on campus including access to medical and counselling services. Waterloo also offers various resources for academic and career support, including the Centre for Career Development and the Student Success Office.
Find out more about how Waterloo supports students.
Remember that everyone deals with stress differently! What works for someone else might not work for you. Take some time to figure out what makes you feel better. You’ve got this!
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