Student Support | Taking care of your wellbeing | Wellbeing | Looking after yourself in difficult times | Stress

Uncertain times can trigger feelings of stress in many, but stress can also be caused by a build up of much smaller pressures. As we travel through periods of uncertainty, it’s important you don’t lose sight of the smaller pressures that you might be experiencing and be aware of how they are impacting you and your levels of stress. This could include the pressure of university work, family pressures or work commitments.

Here are our top tips for managing stressful feelings, click through each to find out more:

Having a plan and routine helps you to be in control of things. We have produced daily and weekly planners to help bring structure to your day. Use these to schedule your working day, alongside plenty of wellbeing activities. You can also incorporate the monthly calendar for some tips on how to integrate wellbeing activities into your day.

Goals and tasks can seem overwhelming to start with. Try using our goal planner to help break goals down into achievable chunks and don’t forget to reward yourself for completing them. If you’re struggling with motivation check out this page for some tips.

Take some time to think about what has gone well in your day. Start by writing down three positive things about each day using this gratitude journal.

Negative thoughts can influence the way we feel. Imagine what you'd say to a friend and be kind to yourself. Maybe take a minute to just breathe deeply or try some mindfulness. This will help reduce tension and switch off some of the physical signs of stress. You can also use this savouring journal to pause, take notice and appreciate the small things. If you feel like you need a bit more help with challenging these thoughts, consider checking out this video.

Physical exercise can help you feel less stressed. Check out UoM Sport’s #ActiveAnywhere campaign and the Be Active page for some activities you can try at home.

It can help to talk through how you’re feeling with others. This could be friends and family or coursemates and lecturers. This is also key to maintaining our general wellbeing. More information about connecting with others can be found here.

It is common when we feel stressed to engage in unhealthy behaviours. Focus on cooking healthy balanced meals and limiting your alcohol intake. This can make a massive difference to the way we think and feel. More information about being healthy can be found on this page.

Focus your energy on the things you can control, like your work and self-care, and accept the things you can’t control. This is not easy but during difficult times this can make a huge difference to our stress levels.

Check out this video for more stress busting tips

Resources for further support

A small amount of stress can be beneficial and can enhance performance, but it’s important to be mindful of when new or mounting pressures exceed our coping resources.

If you feel like you need a bit more help and you’re experiencing significant feelings of stress, then explore the following links and seek further support: NHS guide for stress, Togetherall, Counselling Service

Here are our top tips for managing stressful feelings, click through each to find out more:

Check out this video for more stress busting tips

Resources for further support

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