Stress & Anxiety in College Students

What can I do?

Remember that the first thing that should be done is consulting with your physician to find out the most effective approach for you. The following recommendations are supplementary to consulting and taking the advice of your physician which could vary from medication to therapy or both. Using even a few of the following tips can help significantly decrease stress and anxiety (Amanvermez et al., 2020). One of the more commonly known ideas for stress relief is exercise. The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week to maintain good health. This means that while you can exercise for the mental health benefits, you will also be improving your health in physical ways such as maintaining a healthy weight and cardiovascular system. Yoga is recommended because the practice often incorporates breathing and meditation exercises that can improve and lower perceived stress levels. Doing things like coloring or painting are also helpful because they have similar effects as meditation. Doing other activities like journaling, laughing with a group of friends or even playing with puppies have proven to be stress relievers (Pendry, Carr, Gee, & Vandagriff, 2020).