Stress is part of everyone’s life (especially in college) that cannot be avoided, but there are ways to cope and manage it. To manage my stress, I try to plan out my schedule and try to work ahead so that I will not fall behind. If something is stressing me out, I will put it down for a day or two and come back to it later. I would say that these strategies work pretty well. If I am not behind on work and just taking every task day by day then I do not have as much stress to weigh me down. Also, when I have everything that I have to do written down in front of me, it helps me to feel more control of the things that I can get done. I think this is because once it is written down, I mentally make a plan to get it finished before the end of the week.
Some activities that help me manage and deal with my stress more effectively is participating in workout classes at Etown, like Pound, Strong, Yoga, etc. I also will go to the gym and run on the treadmill for fifteen or twenty minutes. I do not know the scientific reason for why these activities relieve stress, but I believe they help me to do better on my work and help me to release stress in effective ways. Some other stress management activities that I could realistically incorporate into my routine would be planning more time for friends and relaxing time for myself throughout the week instead of just on the weekend.
Emily's college blog 
Emily,
Stress is definitely something that plagues most college students, especially now that we are approaching Exam 2 and our finals. Working ahead of school work to be one or two days ahead is a very good strategy that actually could relieve a lot of stress. From my experience, the most stress I encounter in college is when I have to get work that is due the next on time. Also, doing things that make you feel in control is very beneficial since people who feel in control of their life tend to be less stressed out.
Going to the gym or playing sports is something that also helps me release stress after a week of stressful classes. Another effective way of releasing stress that I’d like to recommend is watching comedy shows on Netflix. When I find myself stressed out I take about 20 minutes and watch a short skit, I tend to work better when I’m not too stressed out. Spending quality time with friends is the best way of all the others for me when it comes to releasing built up stress.
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Stress is something that we all experience. I also tend to put work away for a little if I am extremely frustrated about it or do not understand it because I know it is not helping me to not do anything when I could work on something else instead. Since coming to college, I have also realized how important it is to work ahead. If I am not ahead, I feel behind. I also like writing my plans down because then I can check off when I am done with them which gives me a feeling of accomplishment. Exercise is a good strategy for managing stress. Exercise increases arousal, the opposite of a depressive state, and can also lead to better sleep which can both counteract stress. Spending time with friends is also an effective coping strategy. This is normal, as women have a habit of supporting their friends, while in turn receiving support from them. This is a habit of women under stress referred to as tend and befriend. It is important to find ways to relieve stress during the week as well as on weekends.
Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2016). Exploring Psychology (10th ed.). NY, NY: Worth.
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Emily,
I definitely agree that stress in college is one-hundred percent unavoidable. It seems like you have figured out how to handle the stressors in your life, so I am pretty jealous of that since I am still working on how to handle my stress. I also feel that I am less stressed out when I discipline myself to stay on top of my school work, because when I let it pile up, I get very overwhelmed quickly. I also find that I work through my stress better when I make myself a “to do” list because it is satisfying to cross things off my list once they are complete. I also enjoy exercising when I am stressed out, although I do not work out in a gym, riding my horses is how I tend to relax myself after a tough or particularly stressful week. I also feel that I could benefit from spending more time with my friends, because it is definitely easy to be more relaxed when you’re around some of your favorite people.
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