How to avoid stress

We all know that it is impossible to avoid stress entirely – it occurs whenever we face challenges in our lives. However, there are several simple steps which can help with stress reduction and management. Imagine yourself as an empty cup that fills up slowly whenever you become stressed. If you are unable to keep your stress levels within the limits of the cup, it overflows, and that is when the real issues kick in. Keep reading for useful tips on how to manage and limit your stress.

Firstly, let’s focus on the fact that your body is the most essential stress management tool that you have. For effective real-life stress management, you need to arrange proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise as soon as possible.

Get yourself enough high-quality sleep – 8 hours a night should be just right. What’s more, when you know you are ready and full of energy, you are more likely to tackle whichever challenge that is the root cause of your stress. When it comes to nutrition, the food you consume is the fuel that your body needs. With good fuel, your body feels great and prepared for any challenge, but with bad fuel it simply won’t be – what you eat is up to you. Last but not least, exercise! We are not saying you should start training 24/7 and become a professional bodybuilder, but a mild workout or a short walk will improve your resistance to your daily dose of stress. Getting on top of these simple baseline habits is the first step towards managing your stress more easily.

In addition, there are other changes you can make which will help you with stress management. Do you remember the cup analogy, where every challenge slowly fills you with more stress? Wouldn’t it help you to find an environment which helps to reduce the amount of stress in that cup?

For this reason, we strongly recommend spending time within your favorite social group – whether family, friends, or teammates. Evaluate for yourself where you feel happy and welcomed. Another great tip may seem obvious, but is a real challenge to master – find a balance between situations which make you uncomfortable, and situations where you feel relieved and relaxed.

Ultimately, stress management is a very personal topic. It is useless to compare yourself and your own stress management to other people, because they are probably used to a different environment with different stressors. Just try to be better than you were the day before, and this should eventually lead you towards a lifestyle which keeps you simultaneously challenged, stable and happy – both mentally and physically. If you do feel anxious and overwhelmed with studies, do not hesitate and reach out to the UNYP Counseling Center for help. You can choose from online and in-person counseling sessions with 5 trained councelors.