Managing stress at school can be a real challenge for students of all ages. With increasing workloads, looming deadlines and the pressure to succeed, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But learning how to handle stress effectively is essential for both your mental wellbeing and academic success. In this post, we’ll explore practical tips and techniques that can help you navigate the pressures of school life, from breaking down tasks into manageable steps to practising mindfulness and positive thinking. By developing healthy coping strategies, you can reduce stress, stay focused and feel more in control of your workload.
Break it Down
It’s really easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to do. Students of every age group are being expected to do more and more these days, and most haven’t developed the mental resilience to cope with these demands yet. So, if you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, try going through these steps:
- Stop
- Breathe
- Concentrate on one task at a time
- Don’t think about the next one, or anything else on your list, be clear and come back to this - it’s time to focus on only that one thing.
Looking at the whole of a project, or even the whole of your to-do list can be overwhelming, and it can make you feel anxious and panicky. These emotions might make you want to procrastinate – to put off doing the work, which will make the task seem further away from being finished than ever. That sparks more stress, and guess what? You start procrastinating again, and again? So don’t try to look too far ahead. Instead, take it one day, one subject and one task at a time.
Breathe
Breathing is something you do unconsciously all the time, so it might seem weird to see this on the list. But conscious breathing has some great stress-relieving qualities, and it can help bring stress and anxiety down from peak levels so you can tackle the issue at hand. So when you start to feel the stress building in your chest, take a break and do some deep breathing. You can even do this in your classroom if that’s when you need to – it’s subtle and easy.
With one hand on your chest and one on your belly, take a deep breath in through the nose, making sure your diaphragm (and now your chest) is inflating with enough air to stretch the lungs. Then breathe out slowly, counting to 5. Repeat this 8-10 times.
This exercise has been proven to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), regulate blood pressure and produce a calming effect. Breathing techniques are a great way to help you relax, and great for your overall wellbeing too!
Find the Good (and be Proud)
Your mind is in control of everything, and you are very much in charge of it. You’re a brain driving a meat suit, and you can influence what it feels and thinks. If you focus on filling your head with positive emotions, there won’t be any room left for the negative. In times of stress, try to think of something you’ve done well today, this week or this month, and take a minute to recognise that. Take some time to reflect on your achievements and what others like about you. Be grateful for all that you have and how you’ve managed to navigate your way to where you are now. Positivity and gratefulness are hugely helpful in times of stress, as it takes you away from these emotions.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a great tool to help you work through stress and learn how to cope with it properly. It’s an important life skill, and hopefully your school is supporting you with it (and if they aren’t point them to this page). All mindfulness is is an awareness of your thoughts, feelings and body sensations, and how they can impact your actions. With practice it can help you recognise what triggers your stress and the changes your body goes through when you’re stressed – both of which can help you calm and regulate your emotions before you act.
Be Ok With it!
Above all, learn to accept what you can’t change. A very wise man once said ‘what we resist persists’, and that couldn’t be truer when it comes to stress. You’ve probably noticed it yourself – the more you think about a problem and try to push it away, the worse it seems to get and the more the thoughts keep going around your head. When you try to change something you can’t (like coursework being set), you get into a cycle where you’re thinking, worrying, avoiding and then thinking again, and each time the stress gets worse and worse. But your mind is a powerful thing, and the problem is often only a problem if your mind decides it is. And you have complete control over that. So, where can you accept, address and move on. We know, it’s easier said than done, but practice makes perfect, so start trying it now!
If you’re struggling with feelings of stress, burnout or feeling overwhelmed, there are options out there to help you. Our MELP app is packed with tools, tutorials, guided videos and more that you can use to manage stress in the moment, and over the long term. MELP also works alongside schools to help provide mental health education and skills to young people, using a holistic approach that embraces each student’s diverse needs. If you’d like us to talk to your school, or have any questions for us, just click here to get in touch.