The feeling of being under too much pressure leads to stress, this happens when an individual feels unable to cope with any task at work, university etc. Unfortunately many of life’s demands can cause stress which can distract you from sorting out the cause of the pressure.
If you believe you are suffering from stress (physically or mentally) then you should be experiencing some of the following symptoms, you should remember that stress derives from many other factors but if you are suffering from the majority that will be mentioned then it’s more likely to be an overstressed condition which is common amongst students.
Mental Symptoms
Unwilling to smile/laugh, you struggle to finish a task properly, feeling of inadequacy with your work, uninterested in activities that previously gave you pleasure, feeling everyone around you is busy but yourself, you struggle to show your true feelings, no desire to contact people, making decisions is difficult, feeling helplessness, constantly feeling sorry for yourself etc.
Physical Symptoms
Body feeling weak and faint at times, difficulty sleeping, frequent urges to weep, indigestion or heartburn, frequent headaches, struggle to sit still without fidgeting, constant tiredness, feeling of illness, breathless without exertion etc.
These are some of the major factors relating to overtiredness/stress, if you believe you are suffering from this condition you should inform the counselling services which majority of universities provide.
How to reduce stress
University life can be very stressful at times, especially during an examination period or when an assignment is due. So it is very important to find a solution to help avoid stressful situation which could lead to the symptoms which is mentioned above.
Having recently graduated from University I experienced firsthand how stressful it can be at times, unfortunately I have also realised that majority of the time the causes of these stressful situation is the fault of the student. This is because of lack of organisation, leaving everything last minute which has a huge impact on the type of work you produce, for example in the UK you must hand in your assignment before a time given by the university. Leaving little time for yourself to complete your assignment is like torturing yourself trying to complete it before time is up, same applies for examinations leaving your revision last minute can increase stress levels.
This may sound like a cliché, but the best way to avoid stress is to plan out your work before your coursework deadlines and exams. Sadly a lot of students underestimate the amount of work that they need to do to complete their assignments and tend to take it easy until a couple of days before it’s actually crunch time. This is a big mistake, you must learn how to organise your time, you need to plan the time you will be spending on your assignment and the time for resting. Finishing your work on time gives you the ability to proof read your work before handing it in and fix any errors you may have, because in university little silly mistakes which is more likely to happen when you start your assignment late, will cost you a lot.
There are many issues that could lead to overtiredness/stress at universities, what can you do to reduce this? Firstly is to analyse the situation you’re in, understand how long you have, your estimation for the time your assignment will take, plan a structure on how you will complete you assignment. If that does not work then make some changes in how you manage your time, and see whether these changes give you a feeling of being more relaxed and more in control.
During an assignment/revision
Here are some ideas which may have an effect to lower the stress levels, set yourself realistic targets for each work period, don’t overwhelm yourself. Finish one task at a time, never start another task when you haven’t completed the pervious you could easily get carried away and forget about the pervious task. Always try and finish your assignments at least a week before the deadline. And when you’re in the middle of an assignment and you’re struggling to function, have a break up to 10 minutes and relax your nervous.
Relax
After experiencing such a pressure filled period to which you have completed your assignment/exam, make sure you relax, have a whole day to yourself or exercise which can be very beneficial and has been proven to lower stress levels.
Have a balanced diet.
Eating well can improve body performance, when you eat good healthy food your body and mind gives you the right minerals and energy to cope. Make sure you drink a lot of water also.
By following these steps you should decrease the level of stress and pressure you face and helps to prevent any negative impact on your health and work. Should you still feel stressed after the changes then go seek professional advice which your university who should either provide the service or give you information on how to get such service?