5 easy tips to beat exam stress

With final assessments and the exam period rapidly approaching, we thought we would provide you with tips on what you can to in order to beat exam stress. You already have so much on your plate, you definitely can’t afford to add the extra stress. 

Stress is an unavoidable part of student life that can be a tough nut to crack. Remember, stress exists for a reason and you can choose to let it be your downfall or use it to drive you to improve your work.

[image source: http://bit.ly/2gbsybV ]

What can you do?

1. Don’t Panic – panicking will only make the situation worse and increase your stress levels
2. Write down everything that you have to do as well as their due dates – this will allow you to have a clear idea of what you need to get done and how much time you have to get them done
3. Don’t cram – a lot of people tend to procrastinate and leave their work/studying to the last minute, which will only reduce the quality of the content you produce, as well as cause you to freak out and panic as you fear that you don’t have enough time to complete your work – plan your time wisely and give yourself sufficient time to complete your tasks – create a study routine and stick to it
4. Eat well and sleep well – as basic as this sounds, your body needs fuel and enough rest, in order to function and perform well –  balance this out as well as the amount you get done each day – Breakfast is a must, as well as 6 – 8 hours of sleep!
5. Monitor your caffeine intake – a lot of people depend on caffeine and energy drinks in order to keep them awake long enough to get enough work done, therefore increasing their caffeine intake during stressful times. However, most people don’t realize that the more caffeine you take, the harder it is to fall asleep – as obvious as this fact is, most people tend to overlook this factor during stressful periods

Check out this link to find out more information on what can be done to beat exam stress: https://www.goconqr.com/en/examtime/blog/beat-exam-stress-10-easy-ways/ 

Good luck to all students in the final stretch of the semester! Remember all the tips to stress less! You got this!

#StressLessTips

-RS

 

 

World Mental Health Day – 10.10.17

Did you know that today is World Mental Health Day? That’s right, 10.10.17, an extremely important day for different reasons.

Mental health is a serious issue that a lot of people are unfortunately battling with. It is becoming more common each day for someone to struggle with their mental health due to several different reasons. The aim of World Mental Health Day is to raise more awareness of this issue and to provide more information about how serious this is. This day was dedicated to those who are struggling with this issue and for the public to help in any way that they can. 

Stress is a factor that can lead to several types of mental as well as physical health risks. As we are all aware, it has become normal for people to be stressed out. Despite the fact that there are different types of stress due to different reasons, it can still put a person at great risk in regards to their mental health. Often, people who are stressed for a long period of time will also have to battle with depression or anxiety. Therefore we must put an end to this by doing whatever we can to help those who suffer from mental illnesses.

There are a lot of stigmas attached to mental illnesses thus making it harder for those who are struggling with these problems to ask for help, as they fear judgment from the public. This only makes the problem worse and puts them deeper in the situation, which needs to stop.

[Image source: http://bit.ly/2fWfe7I ]

What can you do to help people who suffer from mental illnesses? 

1. Talk to the person and try to find out what is going on – get to the root of the problem and encourage them to be open with you
2. Be a good listener – people just want to be heard and they want to know that they are not dealing with their problem alone – Reassure them that they aren’t
3. Encourage them to seek help – this is extremely important in order to make sure that their situation does not get worse
4. Treat them with the same respect and dignity without passing any judgment or making them feel any less 
5. Understand that it is not in their control and do not make them feel like it is their fault
6. Try to understand their situation and provide any emotional support that you can
7. Provide positive thoughts and give them hope for recovery 

This list goes on.

There are heaps of things that you can personally do that can make a huge impact and change someone’s life. Be alert of those around you, take some time to understand their situation and what they are going through. Provide support whenever you can.

 

Check out these websites for more information on how you can personally help someone with a mental illness:

https://mhfa.com.au/resources/help-a-friend-family-member-or-co-worker-with-mental-health-illness-or-crisis

http://www.psychguides.com/guides/how-to-find-help-treating-a-mental-health-problem/ 

Be sure to check in on your friends and family as often as you can and offer them any help/support that you can. It is important that we raise awareness about this and encourage one another to take action in these situations. Make your promise today to help shed a more positive light on mental health. 

Mental health is as important as physical health!

#WMHD17 #WorldMentalHealthDay

#StressLessTips

-RS 

Achievable and realistic tips from university students themselves

Please watch this short video as each student provides their own personal tips on ways to cope with stress. These tips are extremely useful and are guaranteed to work as these students have incorporated them into their own lives and are advising other students/everyone else to follow them.

Feeling stressed? Here are some tips that you should follow:

Continuing from our previous post, the same 6 university students were also asked to provide other students/everyone else with tips that they feel will be useful when dealing with stress.

To summarize what the students have said, here are the tips and tactics that they personally follow when they are stressed out:

• Get a calendar
• Write down due dates in advance
• Write down daily goals
• Find time for yourself
• Surround yourself with positivity – people and food
• Seek help from friends, lecturers, tutors beforehand
• Eat and sleep properly – make this a priority no matter how stressed you are 
• Take it easy
• Find a hobby 
• Take electives that will benefit you
• Do mindfulness exercises 
• Find a friend early in the semester so you have a buddy to go through the stress with you 
• Communicate
• Find ways to zone yourself out – change your environment
• Listen to good music 
• Don’t overthink 
• Be direct – go straight to the point – become less indecisive 

The importance of these tips:

It was important to provide you all with realistic tips because they aren’t just random tips taken online. These tips are being used on a daily basis by different people when required to cope with stress. They are extremely handy and easy to follow and can be used in different situations. All the candidates in this video are students chosen from different year levels who are also studying different subjects. They all have different methods of coping with stress. StressLessTips aims to help university students understand the importance of coping with stress and provides them with tips/advice in order for them to be able to take action in these situations. Everybody has their own methods of stress management and it is highly important that we all share our ideas with one another. 

Feel free to share any ideas/tips/solutions you have with us here or on our other pages:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stresslesstips/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelpStressLess 

[Thank you to those who got involved and provided us with personal tips to how they cope with stress] 

#StressLessTips

-RS

Stress Factors and Solutions – a closer look

Please take a few minutes to watch this short video of these candidates: https://youtu.be/ytexhzr9dPU 

Find out more about our candidates:

6 university students doing different degrees in different year levels were approached and were asked the following questions:

1. What stresses you out most at university?
2. How do you deal with it?

Let’s see how they responded!

Candidates:

Meet Sejal, 19 years old in her first year of university. Sejal is doing a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. She believes that her assignments stress her out the most. She deals with it by using a calendar and writing down all her deadlines. She hangs this calendar up in her room in order to constantly be reminded of what she needs to do. She aims to start her assignments earlier by doing each bit at a time in order to motivate herself to get it done on time. She writes her daily goals on her calendar. Sejal gets stressed out easily. 

Meet Sirinthra, 20 years old in her second year of university. Sirinthra is doing a Bachelor of Science and majoring in Psychology. She believes that the workload, reports, and essays stress her out the most as they all come at once and have very close deadlines. She deals with this by starting her work early, however, she lacks the motivation to complete them as she thinks that the deadlines are still far away. The content, workload and the pressure of doing well causes Sirinthra to get stressed out very easily.

Meet Manan, 20 years old in his second year of university. Manan is doing a Bachelor of Media in Public Relations and Advertising. He believes that morning classes, deadlines and the weight of assignments, as well as eating healthy stresses him out. He deals with this by trying to organize his time better in order to meet deadlines, planning his time ahead in order to allocate sufficient time for each assignment and cooking when he can in order to stay healthy. Manan is usually calm however there is always a point in the semester where he freaks out/gets stressed due to the amount that is going on at the university. 

Meet Ishaan, 21 years old in his second year of university. Ishaan is doing a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance. He believes that getting a degree is not a guarantee of success in a job/career, which stresses him out. He deals with this by trying to learn course material thoroughly with the aim of applying it to real-world situations. He often leaves his assignments to the last minute as he believes that the pressure is a good motivator to work more efficiently. Ishaan says that stress has become a daily part of life with deadlines and assignments.

Meet Prielle, 21 years old in her third year of university. Prielle is doing a Bachelor of Media and Communications in Public Relations and Advertising. She believes that the weight of assignments, as well as their deadlines, stresses her out the most. She often deals with this freaking out, stress eating, or sitting down and thinking about the worst case scenario. It puts everything into a manageable and realistic perspective! She then studies with a clearer mind and calmer energy. She writes down deadlines a day before they are actually due at the start of each semester, in order to ensure that she completes them ahead of time, leaving spare time to edit and relax. She gets stressed out easily.

Meet Vikrom, 21 years old in his fourth year of university. Vikrom is doing a Bachelor of Life Science in Pathology. He believes that the workload stresses him out the most. He thinks that it is important to have a 4 legged life, which consists of a social, faithful, health and educational/occupational work aspect. He always tries to balance these aspects out in order to avoid being stressed out. He deals with this by managing his time wisely. He gets stressed out pretty easily, however, this results in you growing and making you mentally stronger. 

[Thank you to those who got involved and provided a personal insight into their lives, as well as how they cope with stress] 

#StressLessTips

-RS

 

Press Pause ||

Take a break!

 

We are all leading busy lives and have numerous things to do on a daily basis. We are constantly stressed out because of the number of things that need to get done. We feel like we don’t have enough time to get these things done. However, it is extremely important to take breaks! Taking breaks regularly will reduce the amount of stress you are currently struggling with. It will give your mind and body a chance to recharge and reboot itself in order to perform and complete tasks better.

 

With the rate that technology is rapidly advancing, we feel the need to keep up with what is going on around us which results in us being stressed out most of the time. We also get exhausted and tend to overwork ourselves without taking a step back and taking breaks. When we are overstressed, our sleep gets disrupted and we begin to feel more anxious which has resulted in us taking more than 40,000 tons of aspirins per year in order to cure our stress-related headaches, body pains, etc.

 

So here’s some advice:

 

• Take a short break after every hour
• Get up from your chair, take a walk, get some food or some water in
• Stretch
• Allow your body and mind to pause whatever you’re doing
• Take deep breaths

 

Then get back to what you were doing!

 

You will notice that your mind will be refreshed and you will be more energized, therefore, it will be easier for you to function again. With the mid-semester break coming up, why not take a holiday? You’ve been working hard for the past few weeks, you deserve a holiday. Reconnect with your friends and family because you’ve been too busy studying/working this entire time. This will give you a chance to de-stress, which is very important.

 

Here’s what you can do during your holidays:

 

• Take a short trip somewhere
• Catch up with friends and family
• Go out for a nice meal
• Go to the beach
• Watch a movie
• Catch up on sleep
• Play some sport or go workout

 

image source: http://bit.ly/2w93wNy 

After doing some of the things listed during your break, you may now press play!

image source: http://bit.ly/2xhiNzL

 

Check out this article to find out why taking timeouts to decrease stress and increase creativity is important:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-kriegel-phd/unplug-recharge_b_1333126.html

 

So during your break, Press Pause and take a Timeout!

 

#StressLessTips

 

-RS

 

 

 

 

Eat Well to Beat Stress

Did you know that certain types of food can reduce your stress levels? It is important to eat well to beat your stress. A lot of people are stress eaters and resort to eating more when I feel stressed out. If that’s the case, it is important that we know what types of food to eat when we’re stress eating. Healthy eating also stimulates positive moods so here is a list of foods that you should consider switching to when feeling stressed or in general, as well as some rules you should follow.

Food List: http://bit.ly/2jMsIaF 

Green leafy vegetables – As tempting as it may be to get some pizza or eat a cheeseburger during lunch, switch to greens, such as spinach. Green leafy vegetables help keep your mind at ease, as well as reduces risks of depression.

Oatmeal – This would be a great alternative to typical carbs, as it is a complex type of carb

Yoghurt – This contains lots of calcium and protein and has several health benefits. Also, it is extremely delicious and comes in many different flavors

Salmon – This contains omega-3 fatty acids that target the negative effects of stress hormones and counteract them. Studies have proven that people who consume food with omega-3 had a 20% reduction in anxiety. Salmon is also known to prevent heart diseases.

Blueberries – This contains antioxidants and phytonutrients that fight your stress hormones, and improve your body’s ability to fight back. Blueberries also boost your immunity and they counteract your stress.

Pistachios – These allow you to manually remove the shells from the nuts, which is a great distraction from the stress you are going through. Shelling nuts will calm you down, as it is a rhythmic movement. They also have health benefits and will reduce your stress levels by decreasing your blood pressure and heart rate.

Avocado – this is a superfruit that will shut down your stress-eating, as it is extremely filling. Avocados are healthy and they reduce your desire to binge eat by 40%.

Cashews – This reduces anxiety as it has a high zinc value. They are also rich in omega-3s and protein levels.

Milk  –  This contains vitamin D that naturally boosts your happiness. If you have enough vitamin D levels in your body, this will reduce the chance of getting panic attacks. Foods such as Salmon, egg yolks, and fortified cereal are also known to have high vitamin D levels.

Dark Chocolate – Have a bite of dark chocolate regularly as it decreases your stress hormones and will trigger your blood vessels to make you relax. This also improves your blood circulation and improves your mood.

 

image source: http://bit.ly/2wSvrSB 

Rules:

1. Don’t deny your cravings completely
2. Don’t cut out carbs completely
3. Eat heavy during the day and light during the night
4. Avoid caffeine
5. Avoid sugar
6. Avoid high-fat foods

Check out this website for a more elaborate list of foods and how to eat to beat your stress: http://www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/articles/2011/december/eat-beat-stress

Happy Eating! 

#StressLessTips

-RS

B +

Are you wondering what B+ is? Well, it is extremely simple.

B+ simply means BE POSITIVE! 

Having a positive mindset, a positive attitude and giving out positive vibes is a great way to reduce your stress levels. 

1. Train your mind to see the good in every situation
2. A negative mind will never give you a positive life. 
3. Positive thinking leads to positive outcomes. 

These are some of the quotes that are often repeated in different situations, so you most likely would have heard of them before. What’s being said in these quotes are actually true, that is why they are used regularly when it comes to giving someone advice. If the thoughts that go through your head are mostly positive then this means that you are an optimist. Now if you are currently pessimistic, it can be difficult to change your mindset because you have been used to thinking a particular way. However, no matter how hard it is, it is not impossible. 

Why should you B+? 

You might be wondering why we’re encouraging you to become an optimist. Here’s why:

Thinking positively will decrease your stress levels. If you train your mind to always see the good in every situation, you are more likely to eliminate all your stress and worries, simply because you will only be focusing on the best case scenario, rather than the worst. If you do this, you will have anything to stress about because you will choose to see the positive side to things, as well as find a positive solution to dealing with anything that may worry you. This will automatically improve your ability to cope with difficult situations, which will also lead to an increase in your lifespan. Having a positive outlook for every situation that you get put in enables you to become both physically and mentally stronger, as this reduces the harmful health effects that stress may have on your body. Having a positive mindset will encourage you to make better decisions in your life, such as following a healthier diet, choosing the right things to do, choosing the right people to socialize with, etc. Once you become an optimist, you will only want to be around people and do things that give you a positive feeling.

Good Vibes Only!

What can you do to become an optimist?

1. Identify areas to change – think about what usually stresses you out and how you would normally deal with it and then find a positive way to dealing with that same situation 
2. Be open to humor – remind yourself to constantly laugh or smile, especially when you are going through a tough time. Make sure you are laughing and smiling on a daily basis.
3. Follow a healthy lifestyle – make sure to exercise for at least half an hour each day and follow a healthy diet
4. Surround yourself with positive people – be around those who bring out the best in you, as well as give out positive vibes
5. Practice positive self-talk – don’t say anything to yourself that you would not say to anyone else, it is important to treat yourself properly so follow the advice you would give to others if they were in the same situation as you

Try following these 5 simple steps and notice a major change in your mindset. This will take time but if you regularly follow these steps, you will become an optimist in no time! Your stress levels will drastically decrease and you will be leading a happier life!

Practicing positive thinking:

image source: http://mayocl.in/1GvEAwl 

Always B+

#StressLessTips

-RS

R U OK?

R U OK day takes place on the second Thursday of September, which is today, 14th September. This day is dedicated to checking up on friends, family, colleagues and anyone else. Ask them, “R U OK?” It is important to keep up and regularly check up on those around you and looking for ways that you can make a difference in their lives by helping them out. Yes, this day takes place one day a year as a reminder, but we should be doing this on a daily basis. People all over the world are struggling with different issues, and by asking one another if they are okay, it can really make a difference. This started off because of the thousands of people making suicide attempts. Almost 50% of Australians experience mental illnesses and this is just based in Australia. So imagine, the number of people all over the world suffering from different mental illnesses. 

Today, I think that it is important for each and every one of us to ask someone if they are okay. Look out for signs that can determine whether a person is stressed.

Some of the things to look out for:

1. If someone starts being really messy and lazy
2. Exhaustion – more than usual
3. Loss of appetite or over eating 
4. Lack of/too much sleep
5. showing up exceptionally late to something 
6. Mood swings

Any other signs that show that they haven’t been themselves lately

Here are some links that provide you with more information on different signs of stress that you can look for:

https://www.stress.org/stress-effects/ 

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/stress-symptoms 

[Too much or too little of any of the things mentioned can mean that a person is stressed]

Try to observe and notice signs that are unusual about a person and have a conversation with them. Simply ask them how things are going and if everything is okay. Ask them if you can offer any support or help them in any way possible. Offer them advice or provide them with any tips that you feel will benefit and help their situation. You will be amazed at the number of different things going on in each person’s life and letting them know that you care and are reaching out will make a big difference.

You are not going to know what is going on in someone’s life unless you communicate with them. All you have to do is ask them, “R U OK?” Yes, it may be slightly awkward when asking someone if they are okay because what if they respond by saying no? What do you say next? The point of asking them if they are okay is not about providing them with solutions to their problems. All you have to do is let them know that you are there for them and that they are not alone. Sometimes, if a person is struggling and they hear that someone out there cares about them, this can lift and reduce the burden that they have been carrying and will motivate them to try to get help and find solutions to fix their problems.

Check out this website on how to reach out to someone:  http://coach.nine.com.au/2017/09/11/14/37/r-u-ok-day-2017-mental-health 

Don’t hold back and don’t be afraid to reach out. Make a difference in someone’s life and simply ask, “R U OK?”

#StressLessTips

-RS

Tip 3 – Get enough sleep!

Did you know that getting enough sleep can reduce your stress levels? That’s right! Sleep is an important factor for reducing your stress levels. Not getting enough sleep immediately causes stress. Lack of sleep also affects your memory and functioning abilities. If you do not get enough sleep each night, you will have more to think about but you won’t be able to deal with it as well. The more sleep you get, the clearer your mind becomes, the less stressed out you will be. You should aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. It may be difficult at first if you are not used to getting this much sleep and you may find it extremely hard to adjust to this new pattern, but once you get used to it, the quality of your sleep will improve, as well as your ability to function the next day. Getting enough sleep will also improve your productivity. Without enough sleep, you are completely useless to yourself, and those around you. When you are tired because you did not get enough sleep, you find it harder to tackle activities, even the most basic activities. You become less patient and get frustrated easier, only resulting in higher stress levels. Lack of sleep also impacts your mood and puts you down as your mind and body is not recharged and refresh the way it should be.

source: 

Set a pre-bedtime routine

Before going to bed, get into the habit of having a routine that you follow every night. This will get your mind and body used to this routine and will allow you to fall asleep easier. Your routine should avoid anything that can trigger your stress. Some of the things you can do are take a warm shower, drink some hot milk, watching some light television, read a book or anything else that calms you down. One hour before you plan on sleeping, try to avoid using technology. If you do this, you will notice a huge improvement in your ability to fall asleep faster.

It is understandable that we are all leading busy lives and getting enough sleep is not a top priority. However, this needs to change and you need to prioritize your sleep. A lot of you may follow the idea of “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” But the point is you will be dead sooner as a result.

What can you do to start this right away?

I personally struggle with sleep, sleeping early to be more specific. I feel like my mind is always awake, making it impossible to sleep at a decent time. My mom has always advised me to wake up early for a couple of days, even if this means sacrificing my sleep. This will put my body into the habit of waking up at a certain time and will result in me getting tired earlier. I have always been stubborn because I don’t have any early classes so sleeping early was not really an issue for me. However, this is my last semester at university and there is so much going on, I can’t afford to not wake up early and start my day, whether I have something going on or not. I started taking my mom’s advice and now wake up much earlier than before, and this has also allowed me to go to bed earlier. It was hard at first, however, my body has now adjusted and I can be sure to get my 8 hours of sleep per night without struggling. I strongly advise you to do the same!

PS. Thanks mom for the advice!  

source: http://bit.ly/2gNqZ3V

More information:

Find out more information here on the relationship between stress and sleep:
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep.aspx

Find out more information on the vicious cycle of lack of sleep and stress:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-m-barnes/sleep-and-stress_b_3415480.html

-Keep calm and go to sleep zzz-

#StressLessTips

-RS

Tip 2 – Create To-do lists!

At university, it is extremely easy to fall into exhaustion and become overwhelmed when you have a lot going on. All students have to complete different tasks such as doing assignments, chores, attending classes, etc. Being a student requires learning how to plan out tasks and setting achievable deadlines. One thing that will definitely help is to create a to-do-list. Creating this list will allow you to see what all you have to do and when you have to do them by. It is a simple list that will help you organize your time and plan out your tasks better. Writing down everything you have to do will also help you remember that you have to do them. Prioritize what needs to be done first and allocate the appropriate amount of time to each task. The key to time management is planning ahead. I am someone who always has to plan ahead and I create lists for pretty much everything, Personally, I am extremely forgetful so creating lists have definitely helped me remember what I have going on, as well as helped me stress less as I know what is coming up. 

Types of lists I make

1. Assignments (overall)

At the start of every semester, I look at all my course outlines and write down all the assignments that I have for each subject, as well as their due dates. I then categorize each assignment to each subject, making it clear which assignments will come up for which subject. I call this list assessment tasks. It is an overview of all the assignments that I will need to do in that particular semester. 

2. Deadlines (monthly)

Another list I create is called deadlines. I create 4 sections in this list which are the 4 months of the semester and add which assignments are due in which month. This helps me have a better idea of what all I have going on in each month and will allow me to plan my time ahead.

3. Weekly to-do lists

The third list I create is a simple weekly to-do list. This list includes all the tasks that are required to be completed in each particular week. I then tick off each task as I complete it. The feeling after ticking these tasks off is amazing, as I know that I have one less thing to worry about.  

4. Daily Planner

Lastly, I use the notes application on my phone as my daily planner. I write down what needs to be done each day, the time it needs to be done, my class timings, etc. 

Now you must be thinking, that’s a whole lot of time wasted just writing out these lists but trust me, they are extremely useful. I personally stress extremely easily about every tiny matter but after creating lists and planning my time ahead, I have learned to plan my time more wisely which has really allowed me to worry less. I highly encourage you all to think about using to-do lists, especially if you lead busy lives and have a lot of different things going on. It allows you to plan ahead, see the bigger picture, realize what you have to do and allocate a reasonable amount of time to complete your tasks. 

source: http://bit.ly/2vZ1jn3 

Advice from an old tutor:

One of my tutors once told my class “If you are thinking about asking for an extension, write down the due date of your assignment 2 weeks prior to the actual due date, then come ask me for a 2-week extension and I’d be happy to give it to you!” 

So what now?

Start creating lists! You don’t have to create all the types of lists mentioned, but create any list that will help you in terms of the type of tasks you have. You will definitely be more organized, stress less about what you have to do, and you’ll become more efficient! You will also enjoy ticking off things as you go, as it will give you a sense of accomplishment.

Get Listing, Get Ticking! 

source: http://bit.ly/2wyccQ6

#StressLessTips

-RS