Dealing with Stress and Anxiety while at University.

The past couple of weeks has been really hard and I have been to the doctors and being diagnosed with anxiety and depression. However I do not feel depressed, just a little stressed. or another word ending in ‘essed’. I have been put on medication however I do not think that they are working as they just make me feel down. Here are my tips and tricks of keeping positive just for a little while for you to get stuff done and get focused. I think i have plenty of time to mope around after I finish uni in 3 months. ugh another thing thats getting me down. So here are my top 5 ideas in trying to keep positive and keep that energy going.

1. Take it slow - Whatever you need to get done, know your deadline and do it little by little. I was always a criminal in this doing all nighters and non stop working until I got it done, however in this space of time you don’t use your mind to the fullest of its abilities and keep on thinking on the spot and believing that will be the best decision, thus not producing work that you will be proud of at the end. Take it slow, do little by little, one project for an hour, another for two. keep it light and fun. or if you’re on a roll go with it!
2. Take a break - I do sometimes end up going on a roll whilst working, ideas come popping up everywhere and I could keep on going and going. However, sometimes ideas are nowhere to be found and I just get a tad frustrated at the blank page. My tips for dealing with this is to sometimes go on for a walk. I sometimes just pop to the furthest Tesco from my house so that I actually get a full on walk going. I think just walking along listening to music can just get myself out of my own head for a while and I get back to work feeling refreshed. I did used to go jogging however my current medication makes me a little woozy so I don’t want to faint in the street and be snapped by other students that would probably find it hilarious. I know I would.
3. Snacks, Snacks & More Snacks - I know snacking is really bad for you buuuuuuttt I figure that everything else is getting me down so a cheeky chocolate bar will not hurt. What I am trying to say is not to deprive yourself of food. I know that I sometimes don’t feel like food due to stress taking over the drivers seat telling me that I can keep on going without the food, so therefore you don’t need anything right now, wait until tea time. However doing this makes you worse, gives you less energy, so you end up being in a slump and probably stop doing work. So I try to get all three basic meals in, Breakie, Lunch and Dinner. By around three-sh I do tend to get a little peckish so what I normally do id have a cup or tea. A cheeky treat will be a biscuit or two …. or lets be honest half a pack, because once you’re down to two you’re nearly there.
4. Yoga - Now don’t get me wrong but I have really been enjoying yoga! For ages I was taking the mick out of people doing upward facing dog or whatever and go “ look at those people, its just a bunch of stretching, can’t really be that good.” However now I know its so much more. Been going out for runs recently to try and deal with stress when I don’t want to take medication, however after I get in such a slump and it actually makes me a little cranky. After a run all I want to do is raid my cupboards for something extra sugary. However I find that doing yoga has really helped me find my own peace of mind. It may sound cheesy but the only way I can describe my feeling after doing a little yoga is Zen. I also find that I sleep better after a little yoga session as well.
5. Put Things In Perspective - I keep telling myself I have 3 months left so I better make the most of it. After that where will I be. So I need to work hard to get my work noticed in the final show of uni or afterwards also. This is a quite stressful thing to think about however when considering all the previous points I feel I can pull through it.

Hope that you enjoyed this post and may have found it helpful.

Many thanks.