Resource CenterTips for Managing Academic Stress in College

Tips for Managing Academic Stress in College

College is a huge milestone, and you should be proud of yourself for all the hard work you did to get here. You have a lot to celebrate, but it’s also normal to feel stressed and anxious in college.

While some stress is natural and can even motivate you to succeed, persistent stress can affect both your academic performance and overall well-being. College stress is very real, and if you’re feeling it, you’re not alone. This guide will help you understand common stressors in college and provide effective strategies to manage them.

Things That Can Make Stress Worse

Overusing Screens

Many of us turn to social media or screens, in general, to take a break from our stress. In small doses, doing this may provide a much-needed break from studying. But using screens as a distraction (or escape) can worsen stress, especially when it means unfinished work piles up.

Substance Use

When you’re stressed or overwhelmed, it’s normal to want to kick back and forget your worries. But relying on drugs or alcohol to unwind can often make things worse.

Drinking or getting high might feel better in the moment, but science suggests that alcohol may make stress worse in the long term. That’s because it changes levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters (the chemicals in our brain that are responsible for our mood).

It can be helpful to your mood and well-being to avoid substance use when you’re feeling especially stressed or anxious. Instead, choose activities you can do with friends or family to feel more connected to your support system, or hobbies that allow you to disengage in a healthy way, like getting lost in a good book or painting, drawing, or another creative outlet.

Causes of School Stress and How to Cope

If your coursework is causing you stress or academic pressure has you feeling overwhelmed, try to identify what’s behind the challenges you’re facing. The cause of your stress likely falls into one or more of these buckets:

Workload

Take a look at your schedule and think about how each class is going. If any of them are feeling particularly challenging, check in with your professor or academic adviser. It might feel daunting to go to a professor’s office hours or set up a meeting with your academic adviser, but try to remind yourself they are there to help you and are in their roles for a reason. If you’d feel more comfortable, you can also reach out to a peer tutor or an academic support center on campus.

These resources are here to help you make sense of difficult course material, figure out a study plan, and more.

The bottom line? Don’t let fear of asking for help drag down your whole course load (not to mention your mental health and well-being).

Learn more about asking for help in college.

Organization and Prioritization

Think about how you’re organizing your time. Keep in mind that having too many things to do at once can easily lead to stress. What’s more, struggling to do all the things can hurt your confidence and make you less effective.

To find balance, it’s important to be realistic about what you can complete in a day. Multitasking is a myth — it can actually have a negative impact on productivity. Instead, prioritize your assignments (it often helps to make a list), and then concentrate on finishing one thing at a time.

Learn more about how to reduce stress by prioritizing and getting organized

Burnout

Putting your academics above everything else — including your relationships, self-care, and other parts of college life — can often lead to burnout. Pulling all-nighters, holing up in the library for hours on end, and only talking to peers in class can harm your physical and mental health, and leave you feeling lonely and depleted.

Balance is key.

It might sound backward, but taking purposeful breaks from schoolwork can boost your focus and may help you learn new skills. That could mean going outside for a walk, hitting the gym, getting coffee with friends, or just giving your brain some quiet time to recharge before tackling your next task.

In order to focus and work effectively, you also have to take care of yourself. It makes sense to prioritize your academics, but having enough time to sleep, eat, and recharge is just as important (and will actually help you do well in school). Make a point of adding breaks and other self-care activities to your daily schedule. You can also set a schoolwork guideline for yourself; for example, for every hour of focus time, take a 15-minute break.

Learn more about self-care for college students.

Time Management

There are so many parts of college life, it’s easy to overschedule yourself. Plus, with more flexibility and freedom than you may have had before, you may find it both exciting and overwhelming to be fully in charge of your own schedule.

Time management techniques can help you feel more in control of your day to day and allow you to do more of the activities that you enjoy, as well as what you have to do. Using online project management and calendar tools (or even a paper planner) can help you stay on top of everything. You may also find it helpful to start each day by writing down the top three things you need to get done.

Learn more about time management for college students.

Other Strategies for Managing Stress as a College Student

Engaging in “me time” activities can reduce stress hormones and promote relaxation: Here are a few to try:

Move your body in a way you enjoy.
Journal about your thoughts and feelings. You don’t necessarily need to journal with an end goal, but writing about your experiences can help you spot stressors and trends in your emotional struggles (and is a way of coping in and of itself).
Practice mindfulness through breathing exercises or simple guided meditations.
Spend quality time with people who lift your spirits.
Participate in support groups or therapy. Your campus counseling center is a good place to start.
Make things. You can cook food, do art or crafts, write, or play music
Listen to music or dance with friends or on your own
Help your community by participating in civic engagement.
Spend time outside. You could walk, go for a bike ride, or even just sit outdoors and get some fresh air.

Get the Help You Need to Manage School Stress

Remember, experiencing stress during college is normal, but you don’t have to manage it alone. Your campus community provides numerous resources and support systems to help you thrive during your college years. By working on healthy stress management, you’ll have a more balanced and successful college experience.

If you’re still struggling with academic stress and stress-management techniques don’t seem to help, it may be helpful to reach out to a mental health professional. There are options available to you either on campus or in your community.

Learn more about finding mental health help as a college student.

If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone right now, text, call, or chat 988 for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7.

You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

If this is a medical emergency or if there is immediate danger of harm, call 911 and explain that you need support for a mental health crisis.