5 Tips to Help End of the School Year Stress for Students

In my academic coaching practice, this is a busy, busy, busy time. My clients are stressed to the max feeling overwhelmed with all of the exams, rush to finish last minute projects, athletic events, holidays, awards banquets and the pull of getting outside when the weather breaks. I remember the feeling well and truth be told still feel this way quite frequently. 

The thing to remember is that this is NORMAL. Everyone gets overwhelmed at times. Even the most organized among us have times that they have taken on too much or life simply hands them too much. 

Whenever my academic coaching clients tell me they are stressed and overwhelmed I bring them to this tried and true 5 step process and it instantly begins to calm them down allowing them to move forward in a productive way. 

Step 1: BREATHE
I can't tell you how very important it is to simply take a few moments, a few times per day to just BREATHE. Yes, I'm aware that you don't have to "think" about breathing but when you are stressed and overwhelmed you begin to use short, rapid breathing cycles that increase your hear rate, increase cortisol and decrease your brain's ability to function well. Taking 5 minutes to focus on your breath, breathing slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth brings INSTANT calm. You can also try this awesome breathing exercise when you are stressed. 

Step 2: MAKE A LIST
My academic coaching clients are laughing right now because I guess i frequently suggest "making a list." Haha. What can I say...they WORK! This is one of my "go to" strategies when I personally feel like I can't keep track of everything or feel like I"m forgetting something. I sit down and make a list of everything I need to complete. Basically just a brain dump which not only allows me to stop ruminating about all of the things I need to do but it makes me realize that, in my head, it seemed like a lot more. Usually. Sometimes, the list looks really, really, really long. Keep reading as I have a solution for that too. 

Step 3: PRIORITIZE THE LIST
So now it will be my husband's turn to laugh because he frequently tells me that I "need to have everything done RIGHT NOW." He's right and that adds to my stress so I began using a list to prioritize what I needed to complete and guess what? Not everything has to be done RIGHT NOW. Seeing my list with items prioritized helps my brain compartmentalize the tasks and calm down about feeling like I'm going to run out of time. It works the same for students who are overwhelmed.  It also helps students to break the cycle of procrastination. 

Step 4: DELEGATE
Some many think that it's not easy for students to delegate tasks when they are feeling overwhelmed but it is. For example, do you have a friend who isn't as busy right now who could copy/print your paper for you? A parent who might do the same? Run that errand for you? Mail that payment? A co-worker who could take a shift or two so you have more time to study for finals or tackle your list? People are very willing to help IF you can tell them exactly what needs to be done. Even just delegating one or two tasks on your list will free up your mind and bring the level of overwhelm down significantly. 

Step 5: SAY NO!
It happens, sometimes we simply have taken on too much. First of all, DON'T take on anything new when you are already overwhelmed. Say "no." If you find that you have already made a commitment but can't keep it because you are simply too busy, contact the person and explain the situation. Perhaps another person could take over for you. If you are up front with them and this isn't a habit with you {taking on too much and dropping out at the last minute} most people will be more than happy to find someone else. This is where the prioritized list comes in too. When you look at your list, you can easily see what you need to say "no" to. Anything that doesn't directly impact your priorities is a "no." 

Ahhh. Do you feel less stressed? I hope so. If you don't, I'd love to share more strategies with you. Let's set up a one time academic coaching session to create a plan for you. 


Is there a tip that you'd like to share that isn't on my list? I'd be honored to hear it. Share it in the comments. 

Jen