Feeling the stress of University?

Being a student at times can be extremely stressful… university isn’t all cheap drinks, fun societies and endless takeaways. Many students can easily fall victim to stress for one reason or another. Financial reasons and the pressures of study are the two most common drivers of stress in students. Recent findings* have found that 45% of students rate the stress of managing their money as 7/10 or above and a further 64% of student’s rate the stress of their degree as 7/10 or above. If you’re one of the many students who are suffering from stress, here are some tips to help you beat it.

Studying and stress: The tips

• Get a good night’s sleep: A good night’s sleep at University isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. Especially with the lively surrounding environment and the urge to spend all night cramming in study. Sleep is essential to maintaining good mental and physical health, a good sleep will also help improve your memory… making studying that little bit easier.

• Eat well: When stress levels are high your body can be depleted of vital nutrients, a healthy diet can go a long way to improving how you feel within yourself. As a student it can be all too easy to grab a takeaway, ready meal or pizza but trying to eat fresh ingredients with lots of fruit can have a massive effect on your health, making your body more resilient to stress.

• Exercise: As a direct result of stress, your body automatically expects some sort of physical exercise. Exercise can immediately result in a feeling of wellbeing and relaxation and it is extremely beneficial to integrate some exercise in to your daily routine. Whether it be something like a walk around the block or a quick run… any exercise is good exercise!

• Managing your time: It might sound cliché but managing your time sufficiently can work wonders in terms of dodging stress, especially when workloads begin to get a bit on the heavy side. Bear in mind:

Plan: What can you get done and when can you get it done by 

Control: Manage your time, avoid things that will waste your time… (Phones, Social Media, TV etc)

Prioritise: What work is your priority and what deserves your full focus

Finances: The tips

• Make a budget: A good idea is to set aside 30 minutes of time at the start of every term and put together a budget. Take in to considerations all your incomings and then work out how much you will spend each week to stay afloat in terms of your finances

• Stick to your budget: A budget doesn’t mean anything unless you stick to it,. You might miss the odd night out or the odd cinema trip but it’s ok. In the long run it will be worth it.
• Reduce costs: It might be worth thinking about ways where you can reduce spend. Try scouting out budget alternatives or do a bit of shopping online… get bargain hunting!

For any of our Huddersfield residents struggling with stress we have a drop in session at Storthes Hall Park;

Friday 20th April from 2:30PM to 4:30PM presented by our Welfare Officer, Pat and the University of Huddersfield wellbeing team.

*Source: Natwest Student Living Index 2017