Some days, this is soooo accurate for life in the 21st century.
On Friday, Winona State University hosted Dr. Edward Creagan from the Mayo Clinic on “How to Survive Stress in the 21st Century.” Dr. Creagan gave a multitude of tips and tricks on how college students can reduce their stress levels now and beyond graduation into the future years. As a stressed-out senior myself, I thought there were many beneficial takeaways from the lecture.
- Learn to Say No One of the best strategies to reduce stress is to take on only what you can. As tempting as it is to join every single club or accept every job and social responsibility, it’s only going to hurt you (and others) in the long run. To eliminate stress, prioritize your responsibilities and focus on your top choices. It’s better to give 110 percent effort to a few organizations than to haphazardly join too many.
- Unplug We’ve heard it time and time again: “Turn off the cellphone,” “Get off social media,” “Time to shut the laptop.” And as much as we would like to give a teenage-roll-of-the-eyes at these phrases, it’s actually very good for you to turn off the electronics every once in a while. Dr. Creagan suggests starting the day by completing your to-do checklist before even turning on your email. That way, all of your focus will go towards your goals for the day, before you are summoned by the outside world.
- Write Things Down Have you ever gone to bed and just as your brain slowly starts to doze off…you suddenly realizes you completely forgot to do an assignment for the next day? In order to avoid this moment of panic, try to write everything down. It’s easy to think that you’ll remember everything while you’re sitting in class, but chances are you will forget something. It’s much safer to write it all down in a planner or at least some sort of piece of paper.
- Eliminate Distractions
Many times as I struggle to write a paper or study for an impending exam, I find myself aimlessly scrolling through Facebook on my phone or reading the latest article on BuzzFeed or texting my friends to make dinner plans. Two hours later, I may have done everything BUT my paper. Cue major stress. Dr. Creagan said that in order to eliminate stress, you need to eliminate distractions. If you need to get a homework assignment done, turn off the cellphone, put a social media-blocking app on your computer and get to work. - Invest in Yourself
In order to do your best, you need to feel your best. Stress can accumulate fast if you don’t take the time to take care of yourself by giving what your body needs. Sleep is a big one for me. If I don’t get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, I’m a walking zombie and can’t focus on anything besides planning my afternoon nap. Dr. Creagan also suggests exercise as another great tool in reducing stress. He says that if you plan for at least a half hour a day of physical activity, you’re brain and body will thank you for it. So, hit the lights and hit the track and you’ll be well on your way to surviving stress in the 21st century.
