According to a 2006 study by the American Council on Education, about 78 percent of undergraduates also work a job at some point during their enrollment, and about a quarter of all undergrads work full-time.
Students are expected to multitask more than ever before, and that is causing increasing levels of anxiety, many experts say. But reserving just 15 minutes per day for intentionally calming activities can make a vast difference in sleep patterns, concentration and, well, overall happiness. Here are just a couple of 15-minute ideas:
List the positives: To-do lists are helpful, but they can increase stress. Try spending 15 minutes on a different kind of list: a list of what you are thankful for in your studies each day. “Don’t stop until you’ve listed at least 30 items,” insists John Khoury, who runs his own health and wellness company, Liquic.
Stop!: Try to take notice of unproductive, worrying thoughts — then intentionally think of something else. Here is one of the more radical methods suggested by Mike Malmon-Berg, a psychologist at The College of Wooster: “Students can put a rubber band on their wrist and snap it while simultaneously commanding themselves to stop when they find themselves focusing more on the consequences of the evaluation than the content of the exam.”
