Hello guys!

I had a really cool idea for this blog post – since the end of the academic year is coming closer, or the end of our whole university degree for many of us, we are swamped down with millions of essays. (By millions I mean several) With loads of essays comes a huge amount of stress. Through this post I just wanted to share some tips and ideas with how to deal with stress. I’m no expert in how to deal with stress at all, but I’ve found some useful tools that have helped me, so I thought it would be really cool to share!

The first thing to do is write a list. I can’t recommend this enough. I didn’t realise everything I had to do until I wrote it all down. I then sorted out a little timetable, this is a really helpful idea – I’ve planned my days in advance with what I’m going to do. So when it comes to it I’m not stressing about which essay I should do first as it’s all planned out!

Secondly, If you’re feeling stressed out and you’re worried about how much you have on your plate, get out of the house! Go for a long walk or a run and have time to clear your head. I can guarantee when you come back you will be thinking much clearer! The walk might even jog some ideas for what you want to write about or have to deal with!

Next, stop saying CAN’T. I’m sure many of us have been told when we were younger that there is no such word as ‘Can’t’. ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I can’t do that’. But as a matter of fact YOU CAN. Stop thinking negatively, I know it can be hard when you have a 4,000 word essay to write on a subject you really can’t be that bothered with, and automatically you just think I can’t do it. So whats the point. But there is a point, try and think positive and straight away you’ll see a shift in mood, and when I’m in a good mood I feel more motivated to do work! Stop thinking that you can’t do it, as long as you try your best and put your mind to it,  you’ll be surprised at how well you can actually do. 

Try not too compare yourself with how well other people are doing. I know it can be hard when your friend has written 3,000 more words than you and that’s made you feel a little crap, but stop focusing on how well everyone else is getting on and focus on you! Just because your friends have nearly finished an essay and you’re only half way through it, it doesn’t make what you’ve done any less of an achievement. Go at your own pace, some people work a lot faster than others and thats fine, everyone has their own pace to work at. Stop trying to be in line with everyone else, they’re not writing your work, you are. Go as fast or as slow as you feel comfortable.

Next, try and listen to music whilst you study. For some people listening to music when writing essays or revising doesn’t work, and thats fine. But if you’ve never tried it then I highly recommend it. I don’t mean blasting Drake or Beyonce full blast, but actually listening to music that has a calming and relaxing element to it. Instrumental music is great to study too, as there are no lyrics to distract you from what you’re writing and it has a really calming aura about it. Here are some links to some of my favourite pieces to work too;

• This one may be around 3 hours long, but it’s absolutely beautiful. I used this all the way through second year when I was writing essays.

 

• This album is all instrumental, and I’ve been a huge fan of Keaton Henson for a long time. Each piece is incredible. Give it a listen.

• Obviously I was going to mention Ludovico Einaudi. Any of his albums really are great to study too.

• Finally, the Theory of Everything soundtrack is another great album to listen too. When I went to go see this movie, I fell in love with the soundtrack. It’s unbelievable. There are some beautiful pieces on there which are great to study too. I highly recommend it.

 

Next, try and avoid procrastination. That’s easier said than done, but try not to leave everything till the last minute. I’ve done it before and it’s not exactly a great idea. Have a plan of what you’re going to study for that day. It will make everything a little easier for you, and you’ll feel great after you’ve completed what you’ve set out to do for the day!

Don’t be too hard on yourself! This is important! Stop thinking you have to be sat at your laptop for 12 hours straight everyday writing and revising. Give yourself a break, go hang out with some friends. (Maybe even start a little study group) Enjoy your time off and be kind to yourself. Don’t feel bad that you’re not working every minute of everyday. Its okay to have breaks!

Take care of your health – this may seem like a pretty pointless one but it’s actually one of the most important! Try and stay as healthy as you can – I don’t mean going on all these crazy diets but keep an eye on what you’re eating. Try and exercise and get a good nights sleep. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to work.

Like I’ve said, I’m not an expert at dealing with stress, but trying out a few of these has really helped me recently with my work!

Hope you enjoy.

Lots of Love,

R x