As a student, I’ve had my fair share of stress and anxiety. Here are my top 6 ways of coping with uni stress:

1. Find a safe space

It might sound obvious but walk away from situations you don’t enjoy. It’s important to remember that you don’t need to feel guilty about leaving a negative situation. For me, t the open grounds fresh air and quiet of the fields near my house are enough to make me feel calmer. You don’t need to tell anyone where your place is, it’s just for you. It can be your room, the park or even the cupboard under the stairs – anywhere you feel comfortable.

2. Detox from social media

What people post does not necessarily represent the truth about them and you’re not doing yourself any favours by comparing yourself to what you see. Deactivating social media for a while can give you time to focus on yourself and properly enjoy the smaller things in life. Go watch the sunset without taking a picture of it for Instagram, or have a huge slice of strawberry cheesecake without posting it to your Snapchat story first.

How do you like to relax? #stressmanagement #relaxation

— OpinionPanel (@OpinionPanelC) December 4, 2018

3. Find someone you can vent to

Just let out all your thoughts and feelings. Do you know someone that makes you feel better just by chatting? This could be a friend, family member, or even a pet! Just go to someone you know can listen well and help you feel like yourself again, it’ll do you a world of good! The danger of keeping emotions inside you is that you don’t know how, or even when you’ll release them. You could end up lashing out at someone who doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end.

4. Set realistic expectations

You may not achieve high marks on every test – and that’s fine. Effort may not always be reflected in your grades, but don’t use it as an excuse to stop working. Work smarter not harder. It may not be a question of “are you trying enough”; it may just be that you need to change your style of working. For me, that meant watching tutorial videos on the topic I struggled with, using mind-maps to summarise important content.

5. Prioritise self-care

Take breaks, sleep well, eat well.

6. Dedicate time to relax

Have a bubble bath at the end of a long day, or binge watch a box set, we all know how this one works!

Remember, we’re all allowed to have bad days, and the truth is we can’t avoid them. The secret is knowing how to control the bad days. Sometimes you just want to have a good cry, whereas other times a good distraction is key. If you trust that negativity will pass, things will soon look better.