Managing Stress: Friends Are Gold

By Christina Noland

Your friends know what it’s like to be given an assignment and feel alone while working on it. If you’re lucky and have had a few classes with a friend by coincidence, you’ll know the difference in what it’s like to have someone there to help keep you on track.

In reality, the pressure of assignments is still 100% each student’s responsibility. But the knowledge that someone else you know is sharing your burden is comforting.

Ask For Help

If you have someone you trust that will look over a paper or give you direction on an assignment, you have someone to fall back on. You won’t feel alone. You need to ask for help if you need it.

Additionally, being around close friends inherently lowers stress. Not only will you have an extra pair of eyes on your homework, you’ll be much more productive as well!

Keep a Friendly Work Space

Working a job can be a huge stress in your life but having friends in your corner help tremendously. A study from Health Psychology showed that those who didn’t have a good social support system while at work are 2.5 times more likely to die from stress related illnesses.

Pro Gamer Tips

Be your friend’s alarm clock if they are willing to be yours. Even if it’s for separate classes, share your schedules. Having friends keep each other motivated does wonders for GPA as well as stress.

Remember to take time out for yourself and hang out with people in real life. Put your digital friends down every once in a while and detach from media.

Make new friends in each class. If classmates aren’t enthusiastic, make friends with all your professors.

If possible, coordinate classes with friends for upcoming semesters.

[Graphic by Christina Noland]