C ollege obviously is a stressful time for students. We are constantly studying to maintain our grades. In my major, it’s normal for students to work on their projects overnight in one of the labs at the Engineering Building. As one of my engineering friends describes it, she practically lives in the Engineering Building toward the end of the semester.
However, a lot of stress is not just experienced from approaching assignment deadlines. Some students have to balance their academics with their extracurricular clubs. Students who are fighting debt have to maintain jobs while finding the time to finish homework. We face stress from nearly every angle these days.
For those that are not aware, this week was Mental Health Awareness Week. This topic seems to be neglected at times, and many of us might find it difficult to talk about. But it’s a topic that we need to consider more thoroughly.
According to the 2012 Student Health Assessment Survey conducted on MSU students, about 20 percent of students reported being depressed. About half of the respondents also said they were overwhelmed by everything they had to do.
Because there are people out there who are definitely struggling, I thought it’d be appropriate to offer advice that based on techniques that have helped me through the most stressful of times during my college experience.
My first tip is to get assignments done as soon as possible. It’s a relief to finish a task and get it out of the way. As a reformed procrastinator, I can say that nothing feels worse than trying to have fun with friends while the thought of homework is constantly at the back of my mind. But staying focused and getting the assignment done in a timely manner is a challenge in its own. Since the assignment needs to get done, you might as well complete it on Friday afternoon so that it doesn’t dampen the rest of your weekend.
The next piece of advice is to give yourself frequent but short study breaks when undertaking large assignments. I learned this from a friend of mine who has an insane work ethic. I used to wonder how he could manage to read his textbooks without frying his brain. Although there are some people out there who can glue themselves to a chair for an entire evening without switching gears, it’s really easy for most people to get distracted or need a break. His solution was to set a timer on his phone so every 25 minutes, he’d take a five-minute break. The breaks are regular enough to prevent fatigue, but also are short enough so that you don’t get caught up in Facebook and throw your evening out the window.
Last but definitely not least is sleeping on a regular basis. Even though most people think that college comes with sleep deprivation, finding the time to sleep is what has helped me the most. For me, it’s a complete waste of time to go to my class half-dead and get almost nothing out of the lecture. I find all-nighters to be almost as bad, because if it gets too late my efficiency plummets. At that point, I might as well drop my pencil and get a good night’s rest so that the following morning, I can finish a problem in 10 minutes as opposed to the half an hour it would have taken me late at night. With enough sleep, you’ll feel more centered and be able to get more work done in a shorter period of time. Not to mention, sleep is good for your health and will help you feel less stressed.
Although it can be incredibly easy to get caught up in a rat race of working and studying, remember that the whole point of college is to secure your well-being for the future. Taking care of yourself now is just as important as taking care of your future. After all, we want to make the most of the short time we have on campus. If we spend it being overwhelmed and sleep deprived, we likely won’t walk away from it feeling happy or healthy.
Henry Pan is a chemical engineering sophomore. Reach him at panhenry@msu.edu.
