Top 6 Ways to Decrease Stress from Studying

One of the greatest ways to relieve stress is through physical activity. Whether this is through a vigorous workout or by participating in sports, you will find that getting your body moving helps you to literally sweat off tension.

Wittenberg University student Ben Fox has been involved in athletics from a young age, and has used this physical activity as an outlet for stress in his college years. “It really relieves a lot of stress from a lot of things if you can do some physical activity,” said Fox. “You’re sweating everything out and you feel like you’re getting cleansed of your stress.”

Adding a daily physical activity into your schedule can help you to beat stress before it comes on. However, there are ways to get rid of stress as you are studying, too.

Fox, who is an education major, mentioned that he keeps a jump rope hung up near his door for quick bouts of physical activity.

“When something is stressing me out, I pick up that jump rope and just jump rope like a fiend, and I’ll feel much better about the stress,” he said.

Amanda Oravec, senior biochemistry and biology major of The Ohio State University, also likes to relieve some studying stress with physical activity. “I run and I dance. A lot. It kind of takes me to my own world,” she said.

Relieve some stress with either a few minutes or hours of physical activity to get your blood pumping, and then go back to hitting the books.

Leave the place where you are studying in order to re-energize. Take your dog for a walk or go alone and spend time in nature for a little while to relax your mind. Spend some time thinking about something other than your study materials.

“Talk it out with friends or just watch a movie,” said Oravec. “Stress studying is never good, so think about something else for a while to get your mind off of things; it makes things so much better.”

Meet a friend for a quick cup of coffee, or even better try one of these six healthier drink options and chat for half an hour about something other than your big exam or paper that is due, or go see a movie together. Get up and get out for a bit, but remember to come back; you have a test, after all.

Writing when you are stressed out can help you figure out the things that are bothering you. While it may seem obvious that the act of studying itself is stressful, take a few minutes to write down a list of what aspects of your situation are causing you the most grief. Are you trying to study a lot of GMAT material in a small amount of time? Is there certain material that you don’t understand? Did you procrastinate? Once you figure out why you are stressed you can better address how to alleviate your woes.

You could also take some time away from studying and do some creative writing. Jot down a quick poem or short story to get your creative juices flowing; even if you don’t consider yourself a “writer” this will at least give you a much-needed break from studying.

Hobbies can help you relax. Put aside the books and take a few minutes or up to an hour to put your stress towards an activity you enjoy. Oravec does just this with baking. “I normally take a time out and do something completely different from the subject I’m studying, and, once I feel better, I get back to studying,” she said. “I’m a stress baker. When I bring cookies and cupcakes to my friends, they know I’m stressed.”

Like Oravec, Fox uses one of his hobbies, playing sports, to get his mind away from studying. “When I’m in the moment playing the sport, all that matters is that sport,” he said. “For those 45 minutes of my day I’m relieved of stress.”

Get physical, watch half an hour of your favorite television show or YouTube channel or just listen to a few of your favorite songs; breaking up your study sessions with activities or hobbies you enjoy will help relieve some test tension and studying monotony.

Do some yoga or Tai Chi. Give yourself a massage (or get a nice friend to give you one). Take a hot bubble bath. Imagine yourself elsewhere for ten minutes.

Fox uses a technique called “escapism” to weed out stress.

“I close my eyes, and I just imagine myself on a wonderful beach, and I’m surrounded by fun people, we’re doing the limbo, just enjoying the sun,” he described. “I’m enjoying that mental image for ten minutes and then I come back to my studies and I feel relieved and can start my studies again.”

Here are some links to relaxation and meditative techniques that can help you to calm down.

Take a deep breath in and hold it for five seconds. Now let it out. Tell yourself that everything will work out in the end.  Take a second to focus on the present and just chill out.

“Sometimes all people need to do to calm down is breath. It really does help,” said Oravec. “Take time out to relax and put things into perspective; chances are it’s over a test or something that in the big picture of things is not going to change your life.”

If deep breaths don’t help, you can check out some of these breathing exercises to help you get through your stress.
Stress is rough, but using any of these methods will help you to relax and to endure intense study sessions.