here.

#4 Don’t Skip Meals

I’m not talking of those snacks and things we chew on all day. By meals, I mean: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Firstly, healthy meals will supply your body the nutrients and energy needed for your daily activities. Secondly, when you skip meals your body reacts more to stress, you could become ill, and you are more prone to junk-food which is unhealthy. Finally, meal-time helps you relax. Whether it’s the solitude of chewing your food and clearing your head, or the laughter with friends while you are eating, your body gets a break. If you start having a set time to eat during the day, you will observe how your stress level will reduce.

#5 Exercise

Don’t roll your eyes yet. Yes! Exercise! I know most of us struggle with it and we can think of so many reasons why we don’t exercise. However, the benefits of exercising cannot be exaggerated. I’m not talking about getting ripped and having 20 packs on your abdomen (although that will be amazing..lol). It’s taking time out of your day, even if it’s just 10-15 mins, to walk, run, or jog. If your school has a gym, lovely! Even if your day is fully packed, you can inject walks in between your classes. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins significantly releases stress in the body. Other advantages of exercise include improving sleep, strengthening your body, burning fat, and of course looking fabulous.

#6 Have Fun

Do you remember the proverb “All work and no play makes jack a dull boy”? It’s very true. As much as you should focus in school, you should also take time off to have a good time with friends or colleagues. I remember having days when I’ll feel so tired and stressed out, but just going over to hang out with my friends, or watching a movie or going to a park etc works like a medication. Another thing that helps is to schedule a fun activity. You might have a full workload over the next few weeks; but just knowing something fun is coming up keeps you motivated and also eases off some stress. In having fun, be safe. Remember, if you get into trouble while having fun, you have increased your stress not reduced it.

#7 Plan Expenses

Money is a major source of stress for everyone; students get their fair share. One of the ways to reduce the stress associated with money is to plan. Make a list of your monthly expenses and sort them by priority. Then, allocate the money you have and stick to your list. In making your list, don’t forget to include fun activities. If you don’t plan for fun, you will end up spending impulsively which will increase your stress.

#8 Put God First

I’m aware not everyone believes in God and some might even seriously doubt God’s interest in our academics. Everyone of us can identify with doing everything right and it not being enough.  I have found out that just putting it in God’s hands first through a simple prayer makes things easier or gives strength and wisdom for tough times. I have so many experiences. There were times I was ill and the scheduled exam was canceled, there were subjects I struggled with that I ended up getting an ‘A’, etc. There are too many of them to share in one post. Some call it coincidence; well, I call it God’s hand.

 Don’t take my word for it, try it. Take five minutes out of your day and just put those classes, exams, quizzes, etc., in His hands and watch how different your academic experience will be. When it comes to reducing stress level, this is my first prescription. When you put God first, everything falls into place.

I  sincerely apologize for my inconsistency. It has been very busy. I will put up a post with more details about how my doctoral program is going. For now, go down to the comment section and tell me what extra tips you have for reducing stress or how any of these tips have worked for you.

Have a Winning-Day

Winie.