First of all, apologies for the lack of posts. I’m going to use the excuse of “adjusting to university life”.

Given the fact that it’s Thrive Week, I figured that now’s a good time to make a quick post about surviving school. As someone with general anxiety disorder, school can be super overwhelming for me. So here are some tips that help (in my experience) to reduce stress and to make school a little easier.

1) Make a plan for getting stuff done

While not everyone likes to plan exactly what they’re going to get done right down to the last detail, having at least a vague outline can be really helpful. Then you won’t end up in that awkward position where you realize you have two days to write three papers, all of which are worth thirty percent of your grade. As well, it makes you feel like you’re on track and accomplishing something, even if you’re just doing one math problem or writing 100 words.

2) Treat yourself

If you feel like you need to eat an entire chocolate bar in a day in order to survive assignments/midterms, go for it. That being said, subsisting entirely off of junk food probably isn’t the best idea; you’ll feel a lot better if you’re eating at least some healthy food.

3) Take breaks

I’ve definitely been in the position where I’ve sat at my desk for six hours trying in vain to study. But getting up for an hour and socializing or doing some exercise can be very helpful in studying effectively.

4) Do whatever you need to do to feel good

This one is a little vague, but the point is, don’t let everything go because you feel like you should be studying. I know that for me personally, putting on a cute outfit and taking the time to do make-up and hair makes me feel infinitely better, which in turn makes me more productive.

5) Deep breathing

Deep breathing is magical. If you’ve gotten to that point where you’re completely overwhelmed and want to break down into tears, doing some deep breathing patterns will snap you out of that state almost instantly.

While I’m most certainly not free of stress about school, I’ve managed to find ways to be a little more productive and a little less anxious. Stress and mental illness can make school infinitely more challenging. If you want help with these issues, or any other well being-related problems, you can can check out the resources UBC has to offer here.