I have officially made it through my last first week of classes!!! I cannot believe that this is my last semester of undergrad and I am so excited, and nervous, for the semester ahead. For those of you who don’t know I will be graduating with my degree in biology in December. Although the worst is over, and by worst I mean chemistry, I still have a rough road ahead. In order to graduate by December I had to max out on credit hours this semester. Not only that, but all of my classes are either biology or math classes, which means none of those fluff classes. I am taking microbiology, biostatistics, physics II, and genetics and they each have a lab or recitation associated with them. I did cut down on my work hours, so that will hopefully give me more study time, but I am already starting to feel the stress creep up on me and it is only the second week!

Most students deal with back to school stress and I believe that if handled properly, you can turn that stress into productivity, so here are some tips for managing and eliminating back to school stress.

Workout

It may seem counter productive for me to advise something other than studying, but I 100% believe that working out helps reduce stress. Not only that, but it also gives me more energy through out the day, helps me sleep better, and releases endorphins, which send “happy signals” to your brain. You may be saying, I don’t have time to workout, or studying is more important. Bottom line is, do not make excuses. This semester I am working out before classes two days a week and in between classes the other two. Finding an on campus gym is a great way to get a quick workout in between classes, or if you do not have a gym on campus, go for a run between classes.

Eat Healthy

Packing healthy lunches is another great way to reduce stress and help improve brain function. I pack my lunches the night before and avoid foods that make me feel sluggish and groggy. This means avoiding simple carbs and sugars that might give you a short burst but leave you wanting to take a nap instead of studying. Exercise combined with healthy eating can improve brain function, which in turn improves productivity, leading to getting more done and therefore less stress!

Make a Schedule

This is something that I have not always been great at, in fact I have been AWFUL at, but starting last month I have gotten into new habits regarding scheduling. I invested in a good planner and started planning out my days the night before. It is the last thing I do before I go to bed. I plan out everything from when I wake up, to what time am I going to set aside for studying, to when I am going to workout, and everything in between. Right now you may be thinking, ok this girl is crazy, but trust me it helps. It helps because now I have a way to prioritize my time and hold myself accountable. Because at the end of the day you actually do have enough time to get everything done if you are able to prioritize and stick to your schedule.

Have Fun!

If all you ever do is school, study, school, work and sleep, that is no way to live. I strongly believe in taking out time for myself where I do not worry about school or the million things on my to-do list. This helps A TON with managing stress and may be the most important thing you can do for yourself. For me this means taking Saturday to something I enjoy, like hiking, visiting a Farmers Market, etc. Just make sure that you enjoy the time and then get right back on track when it is over!

Sincerely,

Cara