Can College be Stressful? Yes! Is it Manageable? Double Yes!

There is no doubt about it. When starting college or returning to college one's stress level goes up. There may be thoughts rising on how to balance school, work, social life, doing homework, household chores, major projects, and if one has children, taking care of them as well. How are you supposed to handle balancing life's regular stressors as well as the stress of school? One major thing to do is sit down and take a look at how your time management is. Do you balance out your free time well? Or is it mostly spent watching TV when you could be doing your homework or finishing washing the dishes in the sink? The Learning Center here at CW can help you with your time management skills. It is located in room 405. Another thing to take a look at is what you do to help you relax when you do begin to feel overwhelmed. What techniques do you use? Do you do breathing techniques? Do you write in a journal or diary? How about exercise or how is your nutrition? For some more help with relaxation techniques come see us in the Counseling Center. Money can also be a major stressor for students when starting school. Maybe you can't work as often as you were before being in school. Budgeting and taking a look at your finances is important. Sometimes simply talking about your stress with a friend, peer or counselor can help ease your stress level. And even laughing, yes LAUGHING can help as well. Doing things that make you happy, seeing a funny movie, listening to music you like, drawing, playing with your children, nieces, nephews, cousins. Just enjoying the little things in life can sometimes make a difference. So when you are feeling that stress level start to raise don't worry, know there are things that you can do to help it.