The fall semester has only just begun and some students are already getting stressed out. Is it because they’re planning out the next eight months of their life? Is it because course registration was such a frightening process? No.
It’s because students procrastinate.
Instead of digging in and getting things like course registration and buying textbooks done before school starts, students are putting it off and creating stress for themselves. It’s self-sabotage.
The obvious choice is to get everything figured out as soon as possible. The closer to the start of the semester, the more likely it is there will be lineups and tired staff dealing with frustrated students, and the greater chance that something that should take a relatively small amount of time and effort will get blown up or drawn out.
If students encounter issues with their registration or buying books, or anything else, in June, they have all summer to solve them. But when run they into snags in late August or early September, their procrastination will increase their stress levels.
It’s estimated that stress either directly or indirectly causes between 60–90 percent of all visits to physicians. Stress is no joke, so students should avoid creating more for themselves by getting their act together and just getting things done.
A completely stress-free life is, of course, unavoidable, and if students are feeling stressed out one of the first things a doctor will tell them to do is to stop consuming stimulants. It’s best to avoid that first cup of coffee—never mind the second, third, or fourth.
Caffeine is a strong stimulant that actually causes a stress reaction in the human body. Quitting or severely cutting back on it helps alleviate stress, although it can take a couple weeks to notice the difference.
Other useful ways to reduce stress include getting more sleep, meditating, getting regular exercise, and the pursuit of leisure (having fun). While those may seem obvious, sometimes people need to be reminded about them.
Students stressed out about the start of the semester need to realize that it only gets harder from here. Course registration and buying textbooks are the easy parts; next comes the actual learning, midterms, projects, and exams.
If students get stressed out at that point, it’s understandable. But drinking another cup of coffee so you can stay awake and study isn’t the best way to deal with that stress.