Abundance And Unwind - 12 Tips To Stop Stressing About Study And Get Work Done

Throughout this post I will be referring to you as Academic Boss, A working person + A student. Even if you aren’t working, you are still a boss, because you are here, reading this.

College is a different life for every student.

There are a lot of emotions involved in school and college life, excitement, sullen days, days of events and joy and days of no motivation, even fear as the exams rush to us like nightmares.

And in such times one wrong decision can lead to another, putting you and me way behind our schedules or far away from even creating one.

I realized this a while ago, when I was buried in my work and my life around me kept on falling apart, that no matter how much you say you work well under pressure, all that hammering on your body and brain is going to do irreversible damage. Damage not only to you but everything around you.

This post is packed with all the lessons and action steps that will help you to go from “I should be doing more” and “there is not enough time” to being happy with how on track you are with your schedule.

You will learn to reduce stress and stay stress free.

And trust me, it is the best feeling.

I have been at the point where I would pass out with anxiety in the middle of the day.

I always felt like sleeping and not talking with anybody, thinking that I cannot do this anymore.

I didn’t want to do anything anymore.

Some more symptoms were constant headache, low appetite, digestion problems, constant sadness, difficulty concentrating, memory problems.

I felt I was lacking something. That I needed more time. That I cannot do this today or tomorrow. That I didn’t know where to start. Or I needed some magic trick to bring back more time.

I used to regret wasting my time on my phone, but the instagram reels were better than sitting to study and work, because I had no idea what lay ahead of me.

So yes, I was scared. Constantly.

But I am not anymore. I was constantly anxious but I am not anymore. I used to cry, but not anymore. And lastly I thought I couldn’t do it. Not Anymore.

That is why you can trust me.

I absolutely hate it when people give a bunch of advice that they hear about all over the internet without even trying to feel what I am feeling.

So as to not hate myself as well, I have written what I have felt, and tried.

I have written things that have absolutely worked, and keep working every single day for me.

What is Stress?

Stress occurs in the face of a difficult situation or when you don’t really wish to do something, but you have to.

It is when you feel that you have too much to do and too little time to do even half of it. And then you just sit there doing nothing except for watching, as more work keeps piling up.

Oh, and bonus, the time doesn’t even stop for you!

How rude!

What Are We Aiming For?

Our goal is to not eradicate the stress completely, that will happen eventually when we work on managing our current stress levels, but to make your days enjoyable.

To make your work less stressful and the heaviness you feel in your body, to be swapped with energy and peace.

Sounds impossible? Did to me as well and yet here I am.

Now I will be guiding you to come here besides me, while we make the best of our lives.

Ready?

Mindset

Every change in your life always begins with mindset.

Take a deep breath and affirm with me:

I am right where I am meant to be, going where I am supposed to go.
I am giving my best, and becoming the best version of myself.
I cannot rush things, but instead, I choose to take actions on things I can control.
I am doing enough and my limits keep on increasing everyday.

Repeat these until you feel grounded enough to move forward.

Starting the post with these affirmations will help you gather your thoughts and focus on the content that is about to come your way

If you want the entire deck of affirmations to read before you start studying or working, here is the link.

I have purposely not kept it for free because when you invest money, you tend to take things seriously, but I have not kept a huge amount either, because no matter where I want you to be able to buy it and use it!

The 12 Actionable Steps

1 | Like minded people are your tribe

Having a group of people who are aiming the same as you helps you keep your own thoughts and mind on priorities.

I will admit it might not be easy befriending the scholars as they tend to keep to themselves. And I am not saying that you have to completely abandon the group you are currently in, but you need to learn how to prioritise, especially your company.

Your friends will come and go but this exam might be your only chance. This year, this month, this week or even today might be the best time for you to work. You don’t want to be spending your time elsewhere.

One easy way to find your tribe is to form connections online. Youtubers and Instagrammers that are absolutely killing it.

Surround yourself with virtual positivity.

Follow people on instagram that make academic content. Make pinterest mood boards full of ideas of A+ students’ habits.

Here are two people that I follow regularly that are responsible for my academic success and stress free days.

Tam Kaur & Jun Yuh

2 | Start in advance

And what to do when you have less time

Start studying right now.

I mean it.

Open the subject you are familiar with, sit for an hour or two.

This is our first step to getting the motivation after which we will sit to plan.

But first get one action done.

This will help you to gauge the time you take to complete a certain amount of portion.

It will help you in creating a schedule and make you realize that you absolutely can do it.

3 | Ask for help

When there is someone who has already studied what you have, ask them, if not to directly help you but to advise on where to begin and what you can omit or focus less time on.

This will not only increase your confidence, but help you better understand the work that has to be done.

And bonus, you are now friends with someone who studies ahead of time too!

4 | Manage your expectations and standards

I will start with the saying that;

Aim for the moon so that you will at least land amongst the stars.

The fact that you are here reading this itself tells that you have high standards for yourself.

So don’t downplay it and aim for what you think you can score.

To begin with, add 10 percent more (or 20, I totally believe in you), and start studying like your goal score is normal for you to achieve.

Next step is to think about what people are expecting from you, they might want you to get full marks or an A grade in every subject.

Remember those are their expectations, so it is something they will deal with themselves.

You deal with your expectations only.

5 | Let’s talk about procrastination

I am someone who has procrastinated for days on end and then cried in the night while getting the work done.

And one observation I made changed the entire game for me.

You procrastinate when you are unfamiliar. Uncertainty brings lack of action.

Remember when I ask you to take the first step and just do one thing? It is also a step in beating this deadly, energy consuming habit.

Another way to eliminate procrastination is to make the task fun.

I make it fun by imagining myself as a dark academia student, who always scores good, who loves reading and feeds off the feeling of power that knowledge brings.

One way to do it is by searching for study inspirations on pinterest and Oh my god, the aesthetic just makes me what to set up my study desk and get things done.

6 | Spend time with people who love you and then those you love

(you should be on that list too)

Have a good laugh, get to know how their life is going, tell them about your own life. Discuss things that are not college or work.

If you really think about it, there is very little to talk about, which makes it all the more important to talk about your life outside of your performance.

You are so much more than your work.

7 | Body

Move your body!

I cannot stress this enough how important it is to move your body. That is what is going to help you connect with yourself.

You are not just your brain, you work, your thoughts and actions.

You are your body too.

So spend time with your body, take care of it, you can also just go for a walk, notice the muscles that are engaged in this task, or maybe do some good yoga, you can even do an actual workout if it fits in your personality.

I love to work with weights and strength training, and when you start to see the results, you are excelling in not one but two areas of your life now!

And college campus walking or your travel walk is not exercise, you are focused on your destination and not on your body.

Get some real movement done. for. your. body.

8 | Drink & Eat Nutrients

Like your phone and laptop needs to be charged to work and like your bicycle, needs to be oiled, your bike needs gas to function properly, your body, a human-machine, needs fuel too. Eat and drink like a human.

Lots of water and lots of nutrients, especially proteins.

Make having fruits fun as they refresh your body, maybe you can start by admitting the colors that they all come in or maybe the different flavors.

Be intentional with them, sometimes try and find out how the fruits affect your body.

These small moments of searching and gaining knowledge will slowly make it your habit to lead a healthier lifestyle.

9 | Caffeine and alcohol

Coffee is something that I can speak plenty about, because I now have reduced it once or twice a week due to the anxiety that it causes me. Yes caffeine can increase your anxiety.

Have it when you think you are gonna fall asleep or you can entirely switch it out with some fruit juice.

You do not need coffee to survive, you need sleep, exercise and food to survive.

You also don’t need coffee to thrive. You need a proper mindset to thrive.

Now talking about alcohol.. why are you even drinking it in an amount that you have to think about reducing or stopping it?

Please don’t create problems for yourself.

If you have alcohol once in a blue moon, there is nothing wrong with it but if you have to worry about your consumption or it has started to affect you, stop it.

Take control of your life, or someone else will.

10 | After eating green, try walking in it

Yes, surround yourself with nature.

Maybe just go stand under a tree with your back against it, or spread a mat under it and sit on it, or go on a walk around nature. sit in the park and enjoy watching little humans play and scream.

Spend time outside of the box. That is how you will learn to be efficient inside the box.

11 | self care and self love

There is enough content worth an entire different post, but let’s make it short.

Start with the top and go to the bottom. Try getting a hair massage or do it yourself.

Maybe wash your hair even. Do an exfoliating routine to your face and apply a mask, get your eyebrows done, facial hair removed. One part of your body at a time.

Here is a free checklist of the entire overview you can have to the ultimate self care routine.

12 | Sleep

Every animal in this nature rests? why? Is it because they don’t have important things to do for a routine or are they busy saving the world?.

No, they do it because sleep itself is important, everything else is secondary.

Sleep is natural, they know it is how they are made, to take rest after working, it’s what makes them living things and keeps them alive.

So unless you identify as a non living object you need to close your eyes and allow your body to reboot.

I have also written a post of what to do when feeling overwhelmed, which might help you as well so make sure to check it out.

Bonus: Small things that just work

1 | Make it a point to do the one thing immediately

To take your control back from your mind and to be able to think clearly, do one thing immediately.

Take the first step, which is often the scariest. Then you can actually start planning.

For me it is to know what has to be done. It can be to gather the material of study or make a list of work that has to be done. And then I start studying in my next work block.

Preparation too, is work done.

2 | Talk to yourself

I do this when I feel overwhelmed, I affirm.

For example when I think I made a really big mistake and the consequences are bad I immediately start saying, “It’s okay. You’re fine, Everything is gonna be alright.”

And keep on repeating it constantly until my brain registers what I am saying and I am out of the zone. Until I am back in the real world.

To make this self-talk easier I have curated a Daily Affirmations Card Deck. It comes with the instruction and a set of cards that you can print and keep with you everywhere.

3 | Read. Please read

It allows you to look into the brain of another person, to live life even if for ten minutes from their perspective.

Reading will help you realize that there are other people living with ten’s of emotions too and allow you to gain a perspective on your emotional state.

Remember you always have it better than someone out there. Use it as your motivation and change your way of thinking.

I would suggest start with reading what you love, it can be fiction or nonfiction.

I personally read fiction as it helps me relax as I am not it the real world, but what it also helps me do is regulate my thoughts and calm my mind enough for me to start working on my goals.

When I do not feel like reading fiction or cannot find a good enough book I go back to Nonfiction, but only the classics.

Now my classics are the books that I have read before and loved.

You can visit my library here and get my most favorite books of all time.