Stress is part of life; so people should be capable of coping with stress brought about by the demands of school, work, and personal matters. After all, graduate students are generally high achievers. If you are in graduate school, you probably have a love and deep appreciation for learning. However, even if you do love learning and had straight As through college, graduate school may be tougher. It also becomes tougher if you have a very high expectation of what you can do or should do.
Employ time management strategies
Stress can truly pull you down if you do not know how to manage your time. You have probably noticed that most pieces of advice related to stress deal with time and managing it properly. Here are some of them:
* Do not procrastinate – If it takes you too long to do coursework, you will end up with less time in your hands.
* Set priorities – You have to prioritize work with impending deadlines, rather than those that can wait for longer. Set a timetable so that you will not neglect anything.
* No cramming, please – If you cram, you will end up stressed and unable to do quality work.
* Say NO – If you put in too many things to do in your calendar, you may suffer a burnout.
Exercise
While doing exercise may seem like a time-consuming task, it is actually a very effective stress-reducer. It makes your body fitter to withstand different stress-causing factors. So, take some time off, at least for an hour three times a week, to exercise.
Do not make all-nighters habitual
Though staying up all night does provide you with more time to study, you may end up becoming unproductive and unfocused during your classes because your body and mind feel tired. You need your sleep to think and function better.
Do not skip meals
Going to graduate school does not mean you have to forgo healthy eating habits because you no longer have the time to prepare healthy dishes. Remember that eating nutritious foods will keep you going. Skipping a meal never does anyone good, even if that person is on a diet. Skipping meals actually slows down your metabolism, making you store fat more quickly. As a graduate student, you need food to keep your body health and strong.
Self-analyze
Keep a journal where you can record how you are doing in graduate school so far. You may find something that will need attention or improvement.
Photo Credit : stan
