10 ways to Reduce Stress during university life

One of the benefits of university life is the opportunity to gain independence, but it can also be stressful. Studying aspirations, financial difficulties, and living away from home can all make things a little difficult. When a student is studying abroad, it is normal to feel a little stressed or homesick once in a while. Sometimes, they might feel they need a bit of extra help and that’s okay. 

 

Culture Shock

Upon arrival, international students face culture shock and plenty of new responsibilities including navigating language barriers, searching for accommodation, finding housemates, paying rent, learning to manage a household not mention studying. Students also expressed concerns about English language hurdles when making friends, expressing their thoughts in group assignments, and using technology.

Moving to a new place, adjusting to a new environment, meeting new people, and learning about other cultures in a new country may all be stressful. The best thing a student can do is prepare themselves as much as possible for the cultural shock. Students should watch videos, read articles, and educate themselves about the special culture they will experience. While they won’t be able to find out everything about their new home online, they will manage to have a pretty good idea about it, and they will be more prepared for the culture they will find after they spend a few days in the new country. Anticipating culture shock, rather than dismissing it, can be a useful stress-reduction strategy.

Learn to manage homesickness

Some students may experience homesickness a few days after arriving at their new home and for others it may take a few weeks. Feeling homesick is common and may involve the experience of anxiousness, feeling demotivated, generally feeling unwell.

Homesickness isn’t a sign of weakness. It's also not a guarantee that a student will struggle as an international student.  So while this phenomenon may hit students harder, it’s still a common one across the entire student population. To overcome homesickness, be connected to your family and friends socially, exercise regularly, eat healthily and take care of yourself, and talk to others about your thoughts and feelings. 

Financial and academic pressures

In addition to the financial pressures of budgeting and handling household finances, students must adjust to unfamiliar academic environments, study styles and course-structures. While studying abroad, several students particularly those receiving financial support from home reported feeling enormous pressure to perform or accomplish academically. Students who felt their academic work fell short of their expectations had higher levels of anxiety and sadness, which resulted in poor academic performance.

Students often work while attending college to keep up with high tuition and housing costs. However, many student jobs only pay entry-level wages. If a student is struggling economically, they should speak to their financial aid office to see if they qualify for grants, loans, scholarships, or a work-study program.

Working on Language skills

The majority of international students' most visible and evident source of stress is language. Inadequate language abilities can cause a variety of problems, ranging from inability to communicate with others in real-life settings to difficulties understanding and keeping up with coursework.

Practicing your language abilities is the most effective approach to improve them. Speaking the local language is arguably the only way to properly acclimatise, however difficult it may be. You can improve your fluency by practising before you arrive, befriending native students and committing to learn from them, reading books, and watching popular television shows.

Time management

Students often get stressed when they feel that they're running out of time to complete a task, this could be study or work related or even stem from feeling overwhelmed with social activities. However, Simple time management practises, on the other hand, might help you feel more comfortable and focused.

Create a written schedule, break down your duties into reasonable portions, plan ahead of time, and set aside time each day to relax or socialise. Divide your job into critical and non-important tasks, as well as urgent and non-urgent chores.

Explore your options

When you're feeling stressed, the urge to isolate yourself from people might be powerful. However, doing so will lead to more problems. Rather than sulking in your room, take advantage of exercise's natural stress-relieving properties.

Joining a sports team or attending a yoga class are both excellent methods to relieve stress, enhance your mood, and meet new people. Even a walk about campus can help you feel more at ease in your new surroundings.

Not feeling safe in the new environment

Living in an environment where one does not feel safe is a major source of stress for many international students. Everything may appear wonderful at the start of their quest. Students may have found a low-cost location near the university, and everything appears to be working in their favor.

It's a good idea to look for housing through the university. Students are welcome to stay in the dorms if they are available. This is a common option for international students, and it will give them a safer and more comfortable experience while they learn to know their new city.

Talk to others about your feelings

You may feel under a lot of pressure to be positive about your entire study abroad experience, especially if you had high hopes when you arrived, or to put on a cheerful front when you speak with family and friends back home, but being homesick is perfectly normal. Almost everyone has experienced it.

If you need further support to work through your stress, seek help from a professional. Persons with mental health issues can get help from a variety of people and organisations.

Finding a stress outlet

Stress, however, cannot be totally avoided. Finding a strategy to manage your stress, on the other hand, can help you avoid becoming overwhelmed. Exercise, comfort food, spending time with friends and loved ones, getting a massage, cooking, watching your favourite movie are all common stress relievers.

Living and studying abroad is definitely not an easy task. Everything around you will be new, and you’ll have to learn how to be respectful toward other people and their culture. The benefits of studying abroad are many, and there’s no struggle that should change your mind when it comes to going through such an amazing experience.

Students will definitely feel stressed during their first few weeks, and it will take a while to get used to the new surroundings. The trick is to keep going and not let the stress get to them.

Edmissions is the future of study-abroad decision-making. Please visit edmissions.com to enroll if you have not already done so. Learn more about studying in Canada by contacting us at [email protected].

For a quick overview related to study abroad, click here