Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

How do I deal with all the anxiety and stress from school?

34 Answers
Last Updated: 04/26/2022 at 11:52pm
Take the first step toward feeling better
Begin your therapy journey today and receive $25 off (use code 25OFF7C)
Moderated by

Lindsay Scheinerman, MA, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

My work with clients is to help them recognize and build on their strengths to find solutions for the conflicts presented in their lives.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
March 31st, 2015 5:26pm
Calm them down. Even if they are not having an anxiety surge right at that moment, they will still feel restless and stressed, Try your best to create a calming environment, one in which they feel safe to let go a little and just take a breath. Instruct and guide them through a few relaxation exercises, such as breathing through the abdomen, deep muscle relaxation, and visualisation. You may as well combine these three exercises, according to the speaker's feedback. Urge them to use those systematically in their everyday lives and turn them into a coping or distraction mechanism for when they start to feel overwhelmed.
Profile: JoyfulHeart822
JoyfulHeart822
July 6th, 2015 3:15pm
Take a deep breath. You can do this. Just think, everyone you know has gone through some form of school and not everyone has enjoyed it. But you can get through it. Take it one step at a time and remember that this is just a phase of your life that will not last forever. Try to see school as a positive step towards reaching your future goals, and remember not to sweat the small stuff.
Profile: Matt5698
Matt5698
March 26th, 2015 3:33pm
The best way to deal with anxiety due to school, is the speak to your school counsellor or special educational needs department, as they are able to put things in place to help you enjoy school a little bit more. I realise this can be daunting at first, but it is there job.
Profile: originalLion57
originalLion57
June 4th, 2015 1:33pm
Reach out, talk to teachers and friends and family and please please PLEASE realize that your grades don't equal your worth or how intelligent you are.
Anonymous
December 11th, 2014 2:14am
Take a deep breathe. Take time for you. School is extremely stressful. School is super important, but so is your health. You need to take care of yourself.
Anonymous
December 10th, 2014 10:02pm
For starters, you can plan ahead (including building time to relax into your schedule!), try not to overload yourself with work (do you really need those extra course units?), and know you do not have to perform *everything* perfectly. In five or ten years, no one will care or know to ask what grade you earned in Cultural Landscapes 1. However, you might remember something useful you learned from that course — so, personally, I would focus on retaining whatever information you think will truly help you in your future pursuits, whatever you guess they may be. School is about learning, learning is internalizing information you did not have previously, and the true measure of your learning is not your grades, extracurriculars or honors, but how you gather knowledge you can actually put to good use. You can set your own learning goals and keep them at heart, first and foremost (and even discuss them with your instructors and advisers), and hopefully those internal goals will keep you from stressing too much about arbitrary measures, like that random quiz on Thursday.
Profile: confidentSoul35
confidentSoul35
June 21st, 2016 8:26am
Find a passion/interest and start working towards it, with all your skill. Once you get good at it, You'll free yourself from all sorts of anxiety and stress.
Profile: LouisaCT
LouisaCT
December 18th, 2014 3:03am
Hey there, I know school can be stressful, especially if you're going through exam times right now. Firstly, remember that at some point this stress and anxiety will pass, so here are some things you can do in the mean time to help ease anxiety! Minfulness - is the practice of awareness and attention to what's going on inside of you, around you, or anything you notice. To practice mindfulness you can do anything (breathing, walking, sitting, reading, etc) as long as you do it with attention and awareness.. For example, breathe (my favorite one) in one big breath, feel it go down to your diaphragm, fill up your belly for a minute, then slowly feel yourself exhale it.. repeat this a few times and ONLY pay attention to your breath and what your body is doing. If you get distracted THAT'S OKAY, just come back to your breath and try again.. do this for at least 5 minutes a day (I suggest)... do ANYTHING mindfully for a few minutes.. it helps your mind ease away from all the worries constantly fluttering around there.. and distracts you. Making schedules might help also. prioritize what you have to get done and when they need to be done by.. but remember you need to schedule some self-care time in there , every day.. :) If you find your anxiety still persists when you're trying your best to manage it, please consider going and talking to someone (therapist, school counsellor, teacher, doctor, etc) about how you're feeling! I know it's difficult, but from my own personal experience, it really does help!! :)
Profile: Uniqueg
Uniqueg
December 11th, 2014 6:54pm
Maybe you can find some time to relax and do activities that you enjoy that will take your mind off of the stresses and anxiety of school.
Anonymous
December 11th, 2014 1:34am
Anxiety is very common for all who learns. But it's ourselves who has to take initiative to overcome it. I used to study according to the timetable daily and keep time for playing ,develop my hobbies and watching TV. Relax well when you do all these. Sleep on time by 10pm for 7hrs. When everything goes well on track obviously your anxiety will reduce. And at last I used to think if I fails or couldn't answer for anything at school, nobody can kill us right?? :) Then why to worry so much? Make lots of friends to enjoy your life..
Profile: amandamarie15
amandamarie15
December 3rd, 2018 6:02pm
Focus on the material. If you don’t understand it, take a break to process what’s going on with you. School is important but so is your mental health. Adopt some coping skills such as listening to music, reading, meditation, distracting yourself etc. or if you have the opportunity, contact a listener on 7 Cups, or text or call a trusted friend. There are many ways to feel like you aren’t alone, because anxiety can consume you. Do me a favor and try to stay strong, stay true to yourself, and realize the differences of real life and your fears.
Profile: pastelverde
pastelverde
November 27th, 2018 10:19pm
Sometimes, deadlines and large amounts of schoolwork are a lot to take in. With the right mindset and/or motivation, the stress of school can drop tremendously. I can understand how sometimes deadlines, peer pressure, and general fear regarding socializing in such a large group of people can feel belittling. Even I often end up procrastinating or feeling panicked when faced with a presentation or confrontation. As a student, I've found that trying your best to avoid procrastination does wonders in diminishing some stress and anxiety put on by school. With less to worry about accomplishing, you can work on other things that are important to you. I always remember to be confident in my abilities and never try to impress people by changing my personality to fit in. In your future, the little social things that happen in school are so insignificant to your career and life. Remember, you can achieve your goals if you believe you can. For more help with anxiety if you are feeling it more strongly, you can also refer to the 7 Cups anxiety guide.
Profile: friendlyName3485
friendlyName3485
May 25th, 2021 11:56am
The answer is just two words: Time management. It is important to know when you want to do what...piling up work is never the solution...just be calm, take breaks and make a schedule to help yourself stay ahead or even cope up. Don’t overthink and once again just stay calm and try to make a schedule and follow it strictly. If you are feeling anxious, then, step away from your work for a minute, take deep breaths and just think about having fun. Time management is very important and I know that you can do it! All the best!!
Profile: shiningDay80
shiningDay80
May 14th, 2018 1:41pm
The way I deal with anxiety and stress and school is to take a break. I will work on assignments for a couple of hours and then do something recreationally, like watching tv. I also like to encourage myself and remind myself that it will all pay off in the end when I receive that degree. It is all for a purpose.
Anonymous
April 24th, 2018 5:16am
You need to realise what exactly in school gives you anxiety and stress, once you're able to do that you need to work upon dealing with those things.
Profile: endearingLion70
endearingLion70
March 5th, 2018 10:20pm
Learn how to better time your activities. Plan your day. Break big assignment into manageable parts. Plan ahead.
Profile: lifeisBeautiful05
lifeisBeautiful05
November 13th, 2017 5:13pm
Firstly start sharing your thoughts with someone in the family you trust and are comfortable being with. Remember everyone goes through that phase and you will learn a lot from there. And anxiety and stress are part of our lives and we can beat them
Anonymous
November 13th, 2017 4:28pm
Relaxation, mindfulness exercises and calming activities, such as reading a good book, spending a night every week off for a break with friends.
Profile: ashade77
ashade77
June 13th, 2017 10:25pm
Every person deals with stress and anxiety differently. Exercise tends to help as an outlet to release tension and clear your mind. For me being as organized as possible helps. Prioritizing what needs to be done now, what can be done later, and whats most important are useful tools. Learning to interact and understand your classmates also helps.
Profile: Melody293
Melody293
September 20th, 2016 9:41pm
Self-care is extra important when you're feeling down due to school. Make sure you schedule time for yourself! Exercising or meditating is beneficial to many people, and helps them destress, but we all have different things that help us the most :)
Anonymous
April 26th, 2022 11:52pm
I am sorry to hear that you are feeling anxious and stressed from school. School can be tough as there are often many challenges and pressures thrown your way. This may sound simplistic, but the best thing that you can do is to push through it. Take it one day at a time, one class at a time. When we push through things, more often than not we make it to the other side and realize that things weren't as bad as they seemed. Bottomline, hang in there, Buddy! This, too, as so many things in life, shall pass.
Profile: daintydragonflies
daintydragonflies
June 14th, 2016 6:13am
Plan out your time but make sure you give time to relax too. It can't all be work, you need a balance.
Profile: ListenerDakota
ListenerDakota
February 1st, 2016 8:04am
Try talking to your school counsellor about lowering your class loads, or maybe spacing them out better. I personally studied two maths classes and physics, and on Tuesday I had all three. Usually they're willing to work things out with you to help you get by easier. Eventually, I had to drop physics, but that's ok. Always take breaks, and talk to your teacher in advance if you think you'll have issues, and keep them updated on how you are. If you're met with that poorly, contact someone higher up. There are always compassionate people. Yes, even in schools.
Profile: Bobcott
Bobcott
December 22nd, 2015 3:57am
Hmm, for me, I had anxiety regarding my health while at school. I overcame this by focusing on my work, engaging in the class activities, and participating in after school clubs like breakdance and parkour :)
Profile: CHardbroom
CHardbroom
November 17th, 2015 7:28pm
If you're stressed with school, you need to have time out time, time to reflect on other things apart from school.
Profile: vrayza
vrayza
November 17th, 2015 2:01pm
when i feel anxiety and stress from school, first time i think that my future, i going to school is for my future, not for someone else future, and i must be very grateful that i can go to school, many people want to go to school but they can't, and last think about your parent, make them proud to have you as their child, school is the best way for secure your future :D
Profile: NanaAthene
NanaAthene
October 27th, 2015 1:02am
Just do whatever helps you distract yourself from the negativity. Like for me, I listen to calm music and I write poetry or even play with my cats and that's what helps me calm down and distracts me from everything going on at school. If you don't have coping skills already, just look some up or do something that's healthy like exercising or hanging out with positive people.
Profile: iwillalwayscare
iwillalwayscare
August 18th, 2015 11:12pm
I've always dealt with anxiety and stress from school. I always wanted to have straight A's and if I didn't I got mad, depressed and I was confused , and kept thinking about me ruining that grade, and how I could have studied more and I would have got better grades. Ever since being in a relationship, I kind of got loose. I still got mostly straight A's, I got the same grades, I just didn't stress out that much. I studied as much as I felt, maybe more times over. MY TIPS, for dealing with all the anxiety is that you should find a hobby where you can forget about school and concentrate on that hobby. Get a chart and write down when you want to study, and study about an hour a day, and don't leave it for the last day. As tempting as it seems, and as lazy you might feel, if you leave it for the last day, because of stress you won't remember as good, you will mix it up and you won't study as happily than otherwise. Make studying fun! Start early so you don't feel like you will run out of time, but that you could study as much as you want. Highlight important words with different colors, write down on sticky notes words and test yourself. Make yourself a test. Draw down history or biology to help you understand it more!
Anonymous
May 10th, 2015 11:04am
What I found worked best for me is to treat myself. With make up, walks, flowers, chocolate, fun movie.
Profile: braveIris99
braveIris99
April 30th, 2015 10:56pm
Organise your life little,exercise,take long baths,talk about it with friends,laugh a little,have a sit down and prioritise things(it's a test,no matter how your parents and society have conditioned you to think it's not a major factor I your life)MEDITATE,lay off the caffeine and sugars,sleep well and be mindful.