How to: Deal with stress

The new school year is starting and with that comes a lot of stress. Wether it’s from school, at home, at work, or anywhere else, it’s always difficult to deal with. I recently started taking driving lessons, I’m in the final year of high school and I have a job. This makes my year so stressful and busy that I thought it would be a good idea to share my tips to deal with that with you today!

1. Planning is the key.

My best and first tip is planning. This is what keeps me from stressful breakdowns throughout the year. I always make tons of lists with stuff I still need to do. I make them every time I feel stressed. This might be during class, at home, litteraly anywhere. I always carry a notebook around in which I write down what I need to do. This way I have a clear overview of the things I still need to do. When I’ve completed a task from this list I mark it with a highlighter. This way I work way more efficient and get so much more done in one day.

2. Don’t procrastinate.

This is something I think lots of people do. To be honest, I mostly don’t. When I get homework I do it as soon as possible so it’s off my plate and I don’t have to think about it anymore. This decreases the amount of stress I have to deal with a lot. It has helped me so much, it’s insane. I know this might be a hard one for lots of you out there, but trust me on this one, it works wonders.

3. Have a “homework-day”.

I’ve done this ever since my first year of high school. Every sunday I have my homework-day. This day I will complete all my homework tasks and study for tests. This way I don’t have a lot to do during the week, when I already have a lot to do. You don’t have to freak out anymore about all the things you still need to do for tomorrow, because you’ve done it already. The only thing you still have to do during the week are the homework assignments that are given throughout the week.

4. Take the time to relax.

Because you’re so busy you easily forget to relax every now and then. I’m not such a fan of taking breaks during studying because it gets me out of my concentration. I know that you should take breaks every now and then, but that’s totally up to yourself. What I like to do is finishing everything I have to do during the day, so I have time to relax every evening. This way I never have to stay up all night to still do something and I get my relaxation time which is really essensial for dealing with stress.

5. Don’t freak out!

Something I do when I’m super stressed is freak out. This is something you absolutely shouldn’t do! I know you sometimes can’t help it, but if you can, then don’t. Freaking out only causes you to become even more stressed and this way you have less time to actually do something. When you’re freaking out you’re not super productive.

6. Sometimes you have to accept you can’t do everything.

Even if you really want to, sometimes it’s simply impossible to do everything. If that’s the case you should just accept it. Nobody is perfect and nobody does everything perfect. If you didn’t manage to do one thing, it’s not a big deal. Of course this shouldn’t happen too often, but every now and then it just happens. Instead of freaking out and stressing out, just accept it and prioritize the things you need to do.

7. Be organized.

Besides planning and staying calm, it’s also important to keep your environment organized. Make sure your important things like your study books and notebooks are all in one place. Not laying around in your room. I would really recommend having a seperate notebook for every class you’re taking because this makes it much easier to find back the notes that you need. I have learned this from life time experience. Ever since I have a seperate notebook for every class and write everything down neatly and organized I have so much less stress. It’s so much easier to look back at notes you might need for doing homework or studying.

8. Write everything down!

Please, don’t be the person who says “I don’t have to write it down, I’ll remember it” and just write everything down. I know so many people who say that, and always be like “A test? Tomorrow? Shoot…”. That’s not what you want. That’s basically putting yourself in the most stressful situation ever. I’m personally in favour of real agenda’s instead of the one in your phone, but that’s up to yourself. The only thing that I think is really important is that you do write it down. Even simple things like print something or bring a specific book. This also counts for things you still have to do at home. Just write it down!

That were my tips for dealing with stress. These have helped me a lot for the past couple of years and will for sure help me many more years. What are your tips for dealing with stress? Let me know in the comments!

The pictures used in this article are from weheartit.com and pinterest.com