Stay Social
Learning online makes it easy to immerse yourself. However, you should not forget or put off keeping in touch with family and friends. It is not good to isolate yourself. Even just making phone calls (to alleviate too much screen time) can be easy to squeeze into your day.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep helps keep your stress levels manageable. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours of sleep for adults (18+) and more for children and adolescents (5-18).
Exercise
Exercise is one of the best stress management tools we can do for ourselves. It boosts endorphins and improves moods. The beautiful thing is that you do not have to do much to get these benefits. Studies have shown that even a brisk 10-minute walk is enough to lower stress levels.
Eat Well
Eating ‘comfort foods’ might give your brain a short hormone rush but it eventually makes you tired. Eating well will help you keep your energy and be able to concentrate longer.
Organize Your Space
Keep your desk neat, create folders on your computer, map out your learning plan. Whatever you can do to stay organized will reduce your stress when you need to find something.
Wisely Manage Your Time
Get up early to prioritize tasks so you can better avoid distractions. Having a structure is a great way to manage your time wisely and again reduce stress.
Ask for Help
This can apply to more than just school work. Having trouble staying organized and managing your time? There are advisors or coaches who can help. Feeling overwhelmed and need to talk to someone about it? Reach out to a therapist. Do not put it off. The sooner you get help the sooner you can get back on track.
Take Breaks
You mind and/or body was not made to sit in one spot for hours on end. Take a break and do a 5-10 minute stretching routine or go for a walk. Getting the body moving is a proven way to increase learning potential and manage stress.
Do a Self Check-in
Do not let your stress creep up on you. If you have trouble sleeping, depression, or poor concentration you should incorporate stress management techniques or get help.
Kim Schemahorn is a Medical Massage Therapist at ESP Sports Medicine. She specializes in myofascial release technique and deep tissue sports massage. She has been a massage therapist for 7 years and uses a variety of tools to create changes in soft tissue. These tools include muscle scraping, vacuum cupping, and aromatherapy. Her hands-on technique is best described as slow, broad, and deep. Therefore, she waits for the tissue to change when applying pressure. As a result, she creates long lasting changes in the muscle and soft tissue.