Tag: <span>tips for students for managing stress</span>

22 Dec

Time Management Tips – 5 Essential Steps to Reduce Stress During Time Crunches

Time management tips really help you manage yourself when you are stressed, rushed, and caught in a time crunch. Those are, after all, the times when it’s hardest to make your best time choices.

Here are 5 Stress-Reduction Steps to Take the Crunch Out of Your Time

  1. Work Within Your Limits. It sounds easy. It is not so easy. Take a deep breath. Recognize the reality that you don’t have time to get everything done that you might have hoped to. Straightforward as it sounds, it requires truly relinquishing options you might value highly! In Scott Peck’s classic, The Road Less Traveled, he lists “balancing” as one of the four essential disciplines to solve all life’s problems. At the heart of balancing is letting go. You assume more positive control by reducing demands on yourself to a workable level. Having simplified your demands, you can succeed!
  2. Prioritize Decisively. Quickly make or revise your to do list (on paper) with “must do” items at the top and things that you can let go of at the bottom. This assures that you don’t miss a key task. In fact, recent studies show that your brain is simply not engineered to store lists. Translating your plans into written, easily implemented “next action” steps is a priceless stress reduction tactic.
  3. Assertively Ask for Assistance. It’s OK to ask for help, and it’s important to be calm and clear when requesting it. Being firm and friendly, not frenzied, keeps the stress level at a minimum for everyone (yourself included). If help can’t be obtained, return to step one and reduce your list further.
  4. Give Thanks. Fourth, once everything is done that can be done in the time span available, be sure to thank everyone who pitched in – and if it was just you, be sure to thank yourself and validate the effort that carried you through! Expressing appreciation provides an opportunity for gratitude to restore balance and perspective, and it helps consolidate good will.
  5. Review and Revise. This step, often overlooked, pays rich dividends. When you have a moment to catch up with yourself, review what happened that left you in a situation with too much to do in too little time. Ask yourself these 3 questions:
    • Was procrastination involved?
    • Were there unexpected changes in your day that threw a wrench in the works?
    • What can you do to avoid a situation like this in the future?

Time management skills can’t address every eventuality, and there will be times when you have to squeeze too much activity into too little time. However, doing what you can to forestall stressful crises, minimize their impact, and learn from them is a great gift to yourself.

Now, what is your next move towards stress-free effectiveness?



Source by Paula Eder

22 Nov

Tips And Strategies For Managing Pain And Criticisms From Past Events

Learn to use perspective to manage criticisms related to past events. What will you do when you casually try to discuss what happened in the past and you get criticized? When you get criticized don’t lash out emotionally. I know this is easier said than done. I have caught myself feeling one way sometimes, but reacting in a different way. How do you use discipline as an emotional guard to eliminate and manage stress? Do you remember exactly what you were doing at this time yesterday? Do you know what you were doing 10 years ago? Where you in a past event that you now remember with strong negative emotions? Here are tips and strategies for managing pain and criticisms from past events.

If you want to properly manage criticism from your encounters with others based on past events, you have to be strategic in your encounters with others. The first thing you need to understand is that everyone you talk to approaches the encounter through their own perspective. For some people a negative past event is simply a difficult time, but for others it remains an emotionally wound that cannot heal. Every encounter you have with others is an opportunity for you to use your emotional discipline to manage the conversation or criticism more effectively. What will you do when someone asks you a question, you do not like? What will you do Did someone react in a way you didn’t expect, to the small talk you were trying to make? What will you do?

When criticism leads you to a disruptive place, press the pause button. Trust the process you have already determined works best for you and begin again. Discipline and confidence in yourself will help you determine when to speak, when to listen or when to simply walk away. Constant pressure can occur through your daily interactions with others. How can you use discipline as an emotional guard to manage stress or criticisms in your daily circumstances?

You have to have the discipline to remain strategic in your response to an emotionally charged response to a past event. Sometimes this may mean disappointing your friends and your family. It may mean that you cannot you will be attacked and called names by that person for whom a past event get into an argument about the meaning of past events. Can you do it? Can you withstand the pressure when the negative comments start trickling in? Can you refuse to participate in the activities you really like so that you can focus on the activities that will help you grow? Do you have the discipline to refuse to be distracted by the latest trend or latest explosion of anger based on pain from a previous event? When you get to the point where you can more consistently focus and achieve your daily mini-goals you will begin to more consistently use tips and strategies for managing stress form pain and criticisms form past events.



Source by Chio Ugochukwu

23 Sep

10 Must-Have Time Management Tips for Working Students

Trying to manage all the demands of working, raising a family and going to school is no easy task, but it is possible. Working students just like you can truly still have it all! Student time management skills are your secret weapon to daily survival and success in reaching your goal!

Working students have lots of responsibilities taking up the majority of their time; but does that mean you’ve given up on your dream of someday having the rewarding career you’ve always imagined? Hopefully not. Read on to find out how to get ahead of the game as a working student.

Follow these ten tips to make working, raising a family and going to school manageable:

  1. Set attainable goals and prioritize.
  2. Create a support system.
  3. Find a job that works around your school schedule.
  4. Find reliable daycare.
  5. Make a schedule, but be flexible.
  6. Stay organized.
  7. Manage your time well.
  8. Delegate household responsibilities.
  9. Control stress levels.
  10. Maintain focus and know that it can be done.

1 – Set attainable goals and prioritize.

Choose realistic goals and stay focused by prioritizing what is most important to you and your desired objective.

  • Every decision you make should depend on your actual abilities. For example, if you can’t fit a full class load into your schedule, then start with just 1 or 2 classes a semester and go from there.
  • Once you know how much you can handle with school, you can attempt adding more to your schedule.

A good tip is to break down one big goal into several smaller goals that are easier to manage.

  1. First, write out goals.
  2. Then take note of the progress you’ve made as each goal is checked off your list; this will build up your confidence.

This first student time management tip – “Set attainable goals and prioritize.” – is the most important. Once you master this skill, the remaining 9 tips should be easy to put into practice.

2 – Create a support system.

  • Get buy-in from your existing support group: Discuss your decision to go back to school with your employer, family and friends. Make sure they understand why you are doing it, and that you – a working student – are going to need their help along the way.
  • Reach out to your new support group at school: Use your school counselors, join a study group, get to know other working students who have similar daily obligations. Just make sure not to alienate existing friends or family members. You will not believe how much this support will help you in your pursuit of a new career.

3 – Find a job that works around your school schedule.

Find flexible work because school is your priority now.

If there are others that can do what you do at your job, it will be easier to take time off and trade shifts to work around your school schedule.

Look for jobs at the school you go to, at your child’s daycare, or maybe something you can do from home. If your employer doesn’t understand, look for a new one.

4 – Find reliable daycare.

Decide which form of childcare will work best for you and schedule to meet with them. Once you’ve chosen your arrangement, locate a few back-up sources in case anything changes. There are many choices for reliable childcare, such as:

  • Public and private daycare centers
  • Preschools
  • In-home daycare
  • Parent trade-offs
  • Babysitting pools
  • Family members
  • Nannies

5 – Make a schedule, but be flexible.

If you haven’t already done so, make a schedule.

  • This schedule should be at least somewhat flexible and contain every activity required of your day.
  • Once you have it all down in writing and can see it from a better perspective, figure out what can be shuffled and what needs to stay put.
  • The time between work and family obligations can be used for study and homework.

Now that your schedule is complete, don’t forget to communicate your daily obligations to your family, employer and friends. Once everyone knows what to expect of your time, things should run smoothly.

6 – Stay organized.

  • To succeed as a working student, you must stay organized in all aspects of your life. You will notice that when your spaces are organized, your thoughts follow suit. Knowing where everything is at any given moment will also save you valuable time that can be put towards more important tasks.
  • Keep your schedule up to date. Any changes that must be made should be updated immediately. This is especially important at the start of a new semester, when class times tend to change and new arrangements need to be made.

7 – Manage your time well.

Successful student time management is all about preparing and making every minute count. For example, use the valuable time before you go to sleep to:

  • Lay out clothes
  • Pack up lunches and backpacks
  • Set out keys, coats and shoes (weather appropriate)
  • Get the coffee ready to brew
  • Take a shower
  • Decide on a breakfast menu

This will save you precious time in the morning and insure that you won’t be late to anything.

8 – Delegate household responsibilities.

Delegate, delegate, delegate! If you have children over the age of 4, they can probably lend you a hand around the house and lighten some of your load. Make sure that everyone contributes to the family and has a job that they can actually do. In doing this, you will teach your children valuable skills for living independently in the future. And don’t forget to use your support system.

9 – Control stress levels.

  • Keep stress in check. For a working student or parent going back to school, relieving stress is just as important as keeping it at bay.
  • Take breaks often. Take a night off from studying and plan something fun to do with the family, friends or on your own.
  • Make sure to take time each day to do at least one thing that you enjoy, such as reading for pleasure.
  • Stretch, exercise or meditate. This can be as simple as going for a short walk.
  • Remind yourself why you are doing this and reward yourself for your hard work and accomplishments.
  • Enjoy the little things that always made you happy and incorporate them into every day activities.

10 – Maintain focus and know that it can be done.

Focus on the subject at hand. Manage one task at a time and don’t think about anything else.

  • If you’re with the family, be with the family and hold off on balancing the checkbook.
  • If you’re at school, focus on your assignments and put work responsibilities on hold.
  • When fixing meals, don’t stress about who is getting the kids to their activities.

Remind yourself why you’re doing all of this: little sacrifices can lead to big rewards. Try not to be too hard on yourself if not everything goes the way you planned; that’s life.

Know that lots of people make the decision to go back to school every day and do it successfully. If they can do it, so can you! It just takes a little compromise and a lot of drive. Find a vocational school near you today and start reaping the benefits of convenience.



Source by Shivaun Martynes

24 Aug

Top 7 Stress Management Tips For Students

Stress affects all students, from graduate level to those in the kindergarten. The term stress refers to the response you have when facing circumstances that force you to act, change or adjust in some way to keep things balanced. It is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. In the right dose, stress can be healthy or even enjoyable. However, stress can be very damaging for students when it becomes excessive. It can harm students’ health, happiness, performance, relationships and personal development. This article will deal with management of negative stress.

Causes Of Stress In Students

Causes of stress in school children include; bullies, a mismatch between student and teacher, concerns about not having enough friends, not in the same class as friends, peer pressure, lack of family time, over scheduling of extra-curricular activities, insufficient sleep, poor diet, lack of preparation, noise pollution among others.

As the students progress to a different level the causes of stress often increase. When students go to college or university, they have to contend with leaving their parents and beginning the process of finding their own identity as adults and their place in the world. The main causes of stress here will therefore include; the new university or college environment, payment of fees, the new relationships formed, the competitive circumstances, exams, lack of proper time management techniques, peer and parental pressure.

How Students Can Manage Stress

Students can manage stress using various techniques. The most important of these are;

  1. Learning to manage their time wisely. This is done by setting up a study schedule, breaking up studies into smaller chunks. In short, students are advised to formulate, with the help of their teachers and parents, study timetables and adhere to them.
  2. The student will also need to have a system of organization for note-taking, keeping track of assignments and other important papers.
  3. Creating a good study environment is also a great tool for stress management. Students have different study habits. While some need a completely quiet room free from interruptions, others actually study better listening to quiet music in the background. A student should pick which is best for him or her.
  4. Determining the most appropriate learning style: whether the student is a visual, kinesthetic or auditory learner. Tailoring your study practices around your particular learning styles makes success easier to attain and keeps stress at bay.
  5. Using relaxation techniques like deep breathing, visualization or imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation and yoga. Additionally, being optimistic will help students become healthier, less stressed and more successful.
  6. Learning how to budget money, spend wisely and pay bills on time, if any, is very important for the student’s survival and will lower stress levels.
  7. Lastly, students must take care of their bodies and minds by getting proper nutrition, getting some form of physical exercise and getting enough sleep. Seven hours of sleep each night is recommended for optimum body and brain function. Naps, not exceeding one hour, should also be taken when needed.

Following these tips will help you greatly to reduce the stress and it might even help to improve your performance on exams.



Source by Luka Malgaj

25 Jul

How Principals Should Manage Stress in Schools

Picture this. Your district supervisor walks through the door ten minutes before classes are to begin for the day, requesting an on-the-spot inspection tour to see how you manage stress in school. You rise from your desk and lead the way confidently.

Stepping out of the office, you see halls flowing smoothly with students. You hear amiable voices on the air, and feel a comfortable peace. Despite the smile tugging forcibly at the corners of your mouth, you maintain dignity as you lead the supervisor down the hall. At each room, you pause, open the door, and present a serene atmosphere. You don’t even hesitate at the bathrooms, certain that not one of the five senses will be offended.

You’re in a dream, right?

No, it is reality – the kind of reality I learned to create when I myself had the privilege of serving as a principal, and managing stress in school.

Breakthrough Ways to Manage Stress in Schools

Principals should manage stress in schools, but how can they? With drugs, weapons, and a host of more common stressors, how can you be expected to manage stress in schools? How can you even master every technique to manage stress in schools?

Let’s look at some breakthrough ideas that will get you started. For the sake of global readership, I will purposefully use simple English.

1. Courage of Convictions

Top principals have the courage of their convictions. They believe firmly that a principal should manage stress in schools. They exercise the courage of that conviction.

Make it a priority to manage stress in school. Set a goal as to when and how stress in school will be controlled. Let nothing and no one deter you from meeting that goal.

2. Be Proactive

Thinking principals are proactive about learning to manage stress in schools. They don’t wait until stressors create mass anxiety. They expect to manage stress, and set out to do so.

Take action to manage stress before it is born or in infancy. Look for ways to avoid stress. Meet it head on. Enlist school personnel and students in proactive efforts.

3. Manage Your Example

Successful principals manage personal stress, and expect to control stress in schools. The best way to help students and school personnel control stress is by practicing stress management techniques yourself.

Get control over your schedule and workload. Force yourself to take a 5-minute break every hour to stretch and breath deeply. Maintain a tidy office with peaceful pictures and soft, peaceful music.

4. Manage Your Atmosphere

Capable principals recognize the importance of a positive atmosphere in managing stress in schools. They know noise and confusion are stressors that need to be controlled.

Reduce noise in hallways and bathrooms by piping peaceful classical music over your public address system. One school that introduced classical music to a building full of rough, rowdy students cut noise dramatically, and brought tangible peace to the daily atmosphere. Use positive words and phrases on signs, serene wall hangings to manage stress in school.

5. Manage Safety

Wise principals recognize that one way to manage stress in schools is to provide security and safety. They seek to address all areas, including, but not limited to bullying, hazing, drinking, terrorism, violence, drugs, and playground or campus safety.

Assess your school’s security needs. Ask students to anonymously list safety issues that concern them. Ask parents for their perspective. Have an independent consultant assess your school. Then take action to control safety in and outside the school. Reducing safety issues is a great way to manage stress in schools.

6. Clarify Expectations

Distinguished principals, like great corporate CEOs, clarify expectations for students, teachers, and other school personnel. They provide written job descriptions in addition to regulations, knowing that when everyone knows what to do, it helps manage stress in schools.

Students, especially, are likely to respond positively to written job descriptions, rules, and schedules. Draw a parallel to the work world, and point out that your school is a workplace for all concerned. When everyone does what it expected, according to their job descriptions, things move smoothly and you manage stress in schools.

7. Concede Control

Clever principles know that a vital human desire is control. A lack of control is a stressor. The more control you can concede to students and school personnel, within reason, the more able you will be to manage stress in schools.

Concede a measure of control in matters such as discipline. Let students choose between staying after school, tutoring a younger student, or reading to very young students. Concede a measure of control in academic goals. Students who set their own goals with guidance will work with less stress than those on whom goals are forced.

8. Make Neon Boundaries

As expert principals, you know that boundaries are vital. Much as students may feign annoyance, they are more peaceful with boundaries. These need not be fences or walls, but make behavioral limits shine as brightly as though they were tangible, high walls painted in neon.

Bravely put in place inescapable limits on unwanted behavior. Practice zero-tolerance with a loving manner – tough love. Students and teachers who have clear boundaries, and remain within them, have less stress. It takes a firm hand to erect those boundaries, but they will prove indispensable in your efforts to manage stress in school.

The eighth point is perhaps the most powerful tool in your effort to manage stress in schools.

You probably know about the “boundaries” study done many years ago with a kindergarten class. The school playground in the study was surrounded by a chain link fence. The children were permitted to play anywhere on the playground, and did so – right to the fence itself. Each day, they ran and played happily, using every inch of the large playground.

Then, the fence was removed. The children went out for playtime as usual, but soon became stressed. They sat or stood near their teacher. When she urged them to run and play, a few moved away, but not far. Some began to cry, and clung to their teacher. When she again urged them to run and play, several did, but no one went far from the teacher. The big playground had become frightening because they no longer knew where the boundaries were.

How do principals manage stress in schools? There is a wealth of ways, but these should get you started.



Source by Anna Hart