A new school year comes with new classes, internships, friends, relationships, activities and more. As exciting as these changes can be, it can also feel overwhelming. Prioritizing, evaluating your expectations and making use of resources are the first steps toward having a successful and healthy year.
Tackle stress before it becomes overwhelming
The best way to handle stress is to prepare for it. Time-management skills like planning your schedule, keeping to-do lists and breaking up big assignments into smaller tasks will keep you on track and help you avoid last-minute panic.
Good stress vs. bad stress
Feeling stressed from time to time is common and isn鈥檛 always a bad thing! Some stress is actually 鈥済ood鈥�, because it keeps you motivated. When stress becomes overwhelming and impacts other areas of your life鈥攍ike your health or relationships鈥攊t shifts from 鈥済ood鈥� stress to 鈥渂ad鈥� stress.
Knowing how to recognize 鈥渂ad鈥� stress is important. It can look different for everyone: some may experience it as irritability and moodiness, others may have trouble sleeping or feel nauseated and some may experience anxiety or panic attacks. These are all normal ways for stress to manifest. Once you are in tune with how stress affects you, it can be easier to recognize when you may need to take a step back or seek out on-campus resources.
Stress management
Finding healthy ways to cope with stress can make it easier to move on and keep your motivation up. Positive psychology research shows that physical activity, getting fresh air, laughing, meditating, talking with a friend and asking for help can all reduce stress and improve your outlook. Try some of these techniques to find the ones that work best for you.
Perfectionism vs. high-achieving
There is often a fine line between perfectionism and high-achievement. Setting realistic expectations for yourself is important for stress management and can improve your overall experience at CU.
Try to reframe your expectations by setting goals that are challenging but within your reach. Practice positive thinking, and learn to accept constructive feedback in a positive way. Your experience at CU is about enjoying the process, not just the outcome: a lot of our growth happens on the way to achieving your goals.
Health and success
Staying healthy, physically and mentally, can also help you reach your goals. Prioritize things like getting enough sleep (7-9 hours per night), eating balanced meals, making time for the activities you enjoy and building positive relationships.
Need help along the way? Don鈥檛 be afraid to reach out. Whether you want to meet new people, find a job, train for a race or make the Dean鈥檚 List, there are a number of resources at CU that can support you.
If expectations ever become too much or you feel overwhelmed, Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) is here to help. You can stop by for a walk-in session at their main office in C4C N352 or find them around campus as part of their Let鈥檚 Talk program. All fee-paying students also have access to unlimited free groups and workshops