Given the intensity of your coursework, research deadlines, and pressure to perform—on top of your continued work and family obligations—you might need help managing all the stress you’re under right now.
Why it matters: Effectively managing stress is crucial for your mental and physical well-being. Cognitive function, productivity, and performance will improve as your stress levels recede, positioning you for better outcomes on final exams and projects.
If you want to avoid burnout, here’s a roadmap to help you navigate the stress of finals week.
1. Recognize the Signs and Symptoms of Stress
Stress looks different on everyone. Learn how your body and mind respond to different stress levels so you can intervene before you burn out.
Physical symptoms are easier to recognize, once you know what to look for:
- Headaches or migraines
- Muscle tension and aches
- Fatigue and low energy
- Trouble sleeping
- Upset stomach or digestive issues
- Changes in appetite
Behavioral and emotional symptoms may be harder to notice. Watch for these warning signs:
- Increased irritability
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Anxiety (exhibited by racing thoughts, nail-biting, jaw-clenching, other nervous habits)
- Mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating
- Procrastination or neglecting responsibilities
- Social withdrawal
- Increased use of substances (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, cannabis)
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty making decisions
- Negative self-talk
2. Take Care of Your Body and Mind
Now that you’ve recognized your personal stress signals, act fast to mitigate them. Preventing burnout is the goal.
Steps you might take today to get ahead of your stress and anxiety:
- Prioritize and protect your sleep. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep daily.
- Move your body. Even a 20-minute walk will help regulate your mood. Any movement counts.
- Eat nutrient-rich food. Lower your body’s cortisol levels by eating foods high in B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, protein, and probiotics. Here’s a helpful guide.
- Engage in a therapeutic activity.This could be anything that grounds you and keeps you present: Practice deep breathing, aromatherapy, or meditation. Get a massage. Start journaling. Silence notifications on your phone. Listen to your favorite album.
3. Seek Out Support
Take advantage of university resources.
- Universities recognize that many graduate students are working professionals and need resources to help them manage stress.
- At WPI, for instance, graduate students can lean on the Center for Well-Being, which offers no-cost programs like mindfulness meditation and ProjectConnect, a peer-led organization that fosters community and connection.
- The Student Development and Counseling Center—or your university’s equivalent—also has lots of self-help tools, student support groups, and one-on-one counseling.
Reach out to faculty and administrators.
- Doing so is helpful not only because it allows you to vent to professionals who can relate, but also because they can help you connect to the right resources.
- At WPI, graduate students have one-on-one access to Student Success managers who can be a sounding board regardless of whether your issues are related to school, work, or life. They’ll help you get in touch with the right person or office, and will assist in mapping out your next steps.
- You can also talk with your academic advisor about trouble you might be having with your classes or your course load.
Get involved on campus.
- Join a club or organization with likeminded people who “get it.”
- Blow off steam together—take your minds off classes by sharing your love of horticulture, art, fencing, LEGOs, cheese—you name it.
Call your favorite person.
- Whether it’s your best friend from childhood or your closest family member, just let yourself vent; then let them cheer you up. Our loved ones are always eager to listen.
- It also helps to hear about what’s going on in their life so you can stay connected and forget about grad school for a little while.
4. Work Smarter, Not Harder
Prioritize your tasks.
- Identify tasks based on urgency and importance. Use a system like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, urgent but not important, important but not urgent, and neither urgent nor important.
- Create daily to-do lists outlining tasks that need to be accomplished.
- Prioritize items on the list and focus on high-priority tasks first.
Create a realistic schedule.
- Use a monthly calendar to flag all upcoming deadlines and project milestones.
- At the beginning of each week, use a planner to map out which tasks need to be completed over the next seven days.
- As you wrap up each workday, make a list of your top three priorities (based on deadline proximity) for the following day.
- Use time blocking to allocate chunks of time to different types of work (e.g., research, reading, writing, studying) throughout the day.
- Schedule time for exercise or another self-care activity—even if it’s just 30 minutes to watch your favorite episode of “The Office.” Prioritize that time for yourself the same way you would prioritize a meeting or appointment. You wouldn’t blow off a meeting with your advisor, and you shouldn’t skip your self-care appointment either.
Set clear, achievable goals.
- Define short-term and long-term goals for your research and coursework.
- Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps to make progress more achievable—and satisfying.
5. Celebrate Your Achievements
Soak in everything you’ve accomplished this term.
- Give yourself small rewards when you complete challenging reading material, meet deadlines, or reach certain milestones in long-term projects.
- Rewards don’t have to be indulgent or expensive. You can treat yourself to a fancy latte, invite a friend over, dance around to your favorite song, give yourself one hour of video game time—whatever will make you happy in the moment.
Feel good about your progress.
- Continually rewarding yourself will shift your focus away from the to-do list in front of you and onto the impressive pile of completed work that’s already behind you.
Boost your dopamine levels.
- On a biological level, rewards give our brains little doses of dopamine, making us feel satisfied and motivated.
- Dopamine also plays a critical role in executive function, which controls memory, learning, concentration, and other faculties.
- Not only will rewards help naturally reduce your stress—they’ll also make the time you spend studying more productive.
“This is a journey—a hard one,” says Frank Gruber, co-founder of Tech.Co, in a story by CNBC Make It, “and the only way to make it sustainable and bearable is if you actually acknowledge your small successes along the way.”