What is college if not stressing over grades? Score an A and see your GPA rise 0.01, take a break and next thing you know, it’s a C bringing down your GPA and sinking your hopes and dreams.
Your parents and professors have probably sung these same tunes before: prepare early. Don’t procrastinate. Work on your weaknesses. At the same time, there’s Netflix and socialising, with no adults dictating what you have to do for perhaps the first time in your life. Your independence is in your hands, and even for the best of us, this is a huge a responsibility to bear. And so you squander it all away and panic when your grades aren’t as stellar as you thought.
Now that the damage is done, stressing isn’t going to do much other than cause you more migraines and increase your feeling of fatality. Contrary to popular belief, it may not always be more studying that will get you back into productive revision mode. Instead, it might be fun.
Countless others have been in your place before, and we think their suggestions of fun things to do instead of stressing over grades will inspire you to do better next time:
1. Set milestones and rewards
Source: Giphy
This is how it works: divide whatever revision or essay that needs doing into tiny bits that can be managed, doing little bits ofwork for a longer period of time (instead of an all-nighter on the eve of the deadline). For every day you get work done, set yourself a small reward – a trip to the cinema, something tasty to eat, etc. This way, you get to do fun stuff and be productive at the same time…so long as you stick to the schedule!
2. Sleep more
More than anything else, sleeping a solid eight hours (or whatever number of hours you have found to make you the most refreshed) is the first step to success. What may seem to be a completely trivial or counter-productive way could really prep your mind into calmly planning your next course of action.
3. Play sports
Physical activity releases endorphins and pumps up our adrenaline level. To cope with stress, pick whichever sports you like most, get outdoors and start sweating. Not only will you sweat out your frustrations and sleep better (refer to #2), but you’ll get rid of some of the “bad stress” that keeps you in panic mode, accumulating more “good stress” that allows you to get moving.
4. Join a club or fraternity
Your stress could be owed to a lack of outlets to unload. There may not be anyone you can spell out your troubles to or nothing to divert your attention elsewhere. If this is the case, try joining a club or a fraternity/sorority – these are usually the best ways for new students to meet people, have fun and get things off their minds.
5. Hang out with your friends
Not everyone wants to go to the counselor or therapist, and if you believe your stress hasn’t crossed over to decrease your mental well-being, of course, that’s totally fine. Friends will be the best substitutes in this case. As the people who care and will be there for you, sharing your troubles with them will let you release some tension and learn from their experiences, too.
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