10 Ways to Destress Before School

By: Janelle Acquaah-Harrison

Zoom meetings, group calls and stacks of assignment emails. It’s that time of year again and a new semester has begun! There is no denying that school can be stressful, but fear not! Below are 10 tips on how to destress before school starts and maintain a level of sanity throughout the year.

1. Strap Up!

Coloured-highlighters, Five Star binders and gel-point pens, why are these always sold out? Doing the same repetitive school work, with the same black pen on the same white paper over and over can get a bit monotonous. Sprucing up your work environment can have many benefits and can even make the most daunting schoolwork enjoyable. For some, taking that extra step to color-coordinate notes or to decorate a notebook could actually inspire them to study. Personally, I find that I work better when I color-code my notes during study revision with my all-time favourite pens being the BIC Gelocity Gel Pens. If you tend to study in an environment that you can personalize and you wish to do so, go ahead! Adding a desk lamp, a diffuser or even a couple of plants can brighten up your workspace. Researchers such as Ruth Rannas, have found that specific plants and essential oils can be beneficial as they increase concentration and focus in the study environment. Although some students prefer simpler study settings, which is totally acceptable, if you feel like you need that Muji pen to spice up your notes, by all means go get it!

2. Goal-Setting

Now that a new cycle of 365 days is about to commence, what do you want to do differently this time? A key way to keep yourself on track is by goal-setting and go-getting. That Model United Nations club you’ve been longing to join? Grab your placard and let’s go! Look into what you aspire to do and go for it. However, with goal setting comes appropriate planning. Therefore, In order to avoid becoming drained, it is crucial to evaluate whether or not you can stay true to your commitments. Ask questions to yourself such as, “Do I have activities that may interfere?” or “which activities do I value the most?” As someone who is interested in a lot of different avenues, I often have to pace myself and prioritize what commitments I can and cannot do. This does not mean that certain aspirations are written-off but that the timing is just not yet right.

3. Plan out your Days!

With loads of work and assignments flying in from multiple directions right from the start, it is easy to become overwhelmed and get lost in the load. A solution to this is planning out your days. Depending on what increases your productivity, you can grab a piece of paper, buy a day planner or even use an app to prioritize the things you need to do. Creating personal deadlines for tasks ahead of the actual deadlines can keep you on track and allow you to have some leeway when working. Jotting down what needs to be done in order of priority can substantially improve your productivity and keep you at ease. It is also great for you to print out your syllabi or course outline in advance and see what you need to do in terms of materials, required textbooks, grading breakdown etc. This can allow you to stay on top of things and work ahead. Do not forget to incorporate breaks into your task list as your brain needs a moment to rest as well. A strategy that I personally adopt is the 25–5 (I like to say I created it myself). The terms of this rule are: work for a solid 25 minutes, take a 5 minute break and then repeat this for the duration of your study. I often tweak the time frame depending on what I am working on, and you can do the same by customizing it to whatever fits your needs.

4. Break Time

After all that strenuous work, it is important to give yourself a little serotonin boost. To do this, it is important to engage in things that are enjoyable and relaxing throughout the week or even throughout your working day. Activities can range from exploring your creativity through a painting session, to participating in a new TikTok dance trend. It is good to incorporate things that you truly enjoy to allow you to work more efficiently.

5 & 6. Class Research (Classmate Networking and Classes)

Joining a class without knowing anyone can be scary and joining a class without any background knowledge can be even more intimidating. These two tips include ways on how to manage these fears. In regards to university classes and some high school ones, you may have the opportunity to join and connect with other classmates. Some classes have forums or group chats beforehand that allow you to meet other students. Be sure to look into these, as they are good ways of networking before the class begins. Prior to starting classes, it is beneficial to research the teachers/TA of the class. This allows you to read up on other people’s experiences with them and gather some advice from former students. Gaining this kind of insight can allow you to navigate your course with a bit more ease.

7. Investing in Tech

You enter your lecture hall and the teacher is speaking at 200 words per minute. So, you whip out your phone and go to your Notes app thinking you’ll be fine, and begin to take notes. You then realize that your fingers cannot match the speed of the teacher on your tiny keyboard. The hour has gone by and you’ve written 5 words out of 5,000. For some people this might be okay, but for many others a source of reliable technology can go a long way. It is true that not everyone may have the means of investing in specific technologies or see the importance of it, but if you can and want to, you should. Finding ways to ETHICALLY enhance your education, *no cheating*, can positively contribute to your school experience. For example, investing in technologies such as a reliable laptop, tablet or reMarkable can last you for the rest of your academic life. In addition to this, subscribing to resources that can aid in your work, such as Grammarly, can also have lasting benefits. This is not a must-have, but if you find that you work better with technology, this is a tip that can really help you.

8. Fix Your Sleep Schedule

Those short days and long nights in the wintertime can really mess with your sleep schedule. From sleeping from 1am to 1pm, the transition to an 8am class can be brutal. In order to avoid this, practice sleeping a little earlier each day during the week before school. This will train your body to get back into a routine and have you waking up bright and early again.

9. Look after yourself

We often hear people preach about the importance of self-care and taking breaks and fortunately for you, I am here to continue the nagging. Self-care is crucial in terms of destressing prior, during and after the school year. Although it might not seem practical to be reserving days for yourself ,it is imperative that you do so. Before you embark on your academic journey, be sure to take 1–2 days off of your schedule (within reason) and do things that will make you feel like you again. Do something you love, go shopping, add some spice to your appearance or even just a simple day of Netflix and skincare can do the trick.

10. Just Breathe!

A new year is always hectic with so many different ideas and resolutions racing across your mind. It is important to stay motivated to do these things but also to be realistic. Inevitably, things will not always be perfect but do not get discouraged. Remember to reach out to available resources and refer back to the goals you have set for yourself.

These are 10 tips that help me destress before a new school year begins! You are welcome to tweak them to your own preference and personal experience. The main takeaway is that learning is a journey, so remember to enjoy it.

References

Raanaas, R. K., Evensen, K. H., Rich, D., Sjøstrøm, G., & Patil, G. (2011). Benefits of indoor plants on attention capacity in an office setting. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(1), 99–105. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.11.005