White man in green sweatshirt, head down on open book, three empty coffee cup

6 Effective Ways to Deal With Graduate School Stress

Any graduate course of study is bound to cause some stress in a student's life. If you find yourself stressed out, try these techniques to find relief!

Any worthwhile graduate course of study is bound to cause some stress in the life of a student. Remember: If your program didn’t challenge you at the highest level, it wouldn’t be worth it. With that said, sometimes we make it hard on ourselves to de-stress. Procrastination, lack of sleep, and taking on too much work are frequent symptoms of burnout. If you find yourself “burning the candle at both ends,” try these techniques to bring a little relief!

1. Take your electronics away from where you sleep

We’re all guilty of studying in bed, cross-legged, furiously typing away at a last-minute paper, but studies have shown that our bodies becomes conditioned with routines. If you consistently use your bed as your office space, it will be harder for you to mentally “switch off” once you climb under the covers. If possible, do most of your computer work at a desk or kitchen table, away from your bedroom (or at least a few feet away from your bed).

Related: How Important Is Sleep to Academic Success? 

2. Fight insomnia with a total blackout

Noise, light, and cold are three of the most common things that can prevent us from drifting off. If you have street lights or a neighbor’s lamp shining in through your bedroom window, consider covering them up with a large blanket before you hit the hay. Try to make your bedroom as pitch-black as possible. Buy some ear plugs, even if you don’t have noisy roommates. With them in, you’ll be able to listen to your heartbeat, which will lull you to sleep more quickly after a stressful day. Take the plugs to the library to get a more focused study session in as well!

3. Exercise, even in small bursts

We all know we should exercise, but it can be tough to find even 30–60 minutes a day to go for a jog or take a Pilates class. Even if you have no time to get a true workout in, make yourself take at least three five-minute stretch/meditation breaks—one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one before bedtime. For each break, set your phone alarm for five minutes and quickly stretch out on the floor. Stretch out your spine and listen to yourself breathe. This will allow your muscles (especially those around your head and shoulders) to relax into the floor and remove any tension you may be subconsciously “holding” in your body. 

4. Delegate/outsource

Yes, you're in grad school, so money is probably tight. But sometimes it's worth spending a little cash to get some peace of mind. So instead of trying to handle school and the demands of daily life (i.e., keeping yourself and possibly others clean, fed, and clothed), outsource some of those chores! If you have kids, a couple hours of peace to study or relax might make the money you have to pay a sitter the best $20 or $30 you've ever spent. Order takeout and drop off your laundry for someone else to do. All of these things require some expenditures, but consider them an investment in your sanity.

Related: The Importance of Finding Balance as a Graduate Student

5. Look out for #1

Sometimes, what you really need to do is take a nap, go for a run, or sit quietly in a room staring at a blank wall. Even though midterms can be hectic, don't be afraid to be a little bit greedy with your time, and allocate a chunk of it to maintaining your own mental health. Flight attendants have it right: You have to put on your own oxygen mask before you can help others.

6. Don't be afraid to look for support

Sometimes self-care isn't enough, and there is absolutely no shame in that. Know what resources your school makes available to grad students and take advantage of them. These might include stress management seminars, individual counseling, or other options. These services are there to help. Let them.

Related: 5 Great Campus Resources Students Should Know About

You're bound to get stressed out in grad school, but there are ways you can manage it, from improving your sleep habits to stepping up your activity levels to finding people who want to help you succeed. When things get too overwhelming, take a deep breath and don't forget these tips. They can help you get through anything on your grad school journey! 

For more content like this, check out our Graduate School section.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Vivian Kerr

Vivian Kerr

Vivian Kerr has been teaching and tutoring in the Los Angeles area since 2005. She graduated from the University of Southern California, studied abroad in London, and has worked for several test prep companies, including Kaplan, for whom she offered ACT, SAT, ISEE, GRE, and GMAT prep services as well as admissions counseling. She is a contributing blogger at Beat the GMAT and loves to see her former students succeed in grad school!

 

About Andrea Alexander

Andrea Alexander

Andrea Alexander is a former attorney and a current graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Information, where she's studying Library & Information Services and Information Policy. She has also been teaching, tutoring, and writing content about standardized test preparation for almost 10 years.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Ohio University

Athens, OH


Melanie Kajy

Melanie Kajy

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me tremendously during my senior year of high school. I started off using the college search to find more information about the universities I was interested in. Just this tool alone gave me so much information about a particular school. It was my one-stop shop to learn about college. I was able to find information about college tuition, school rank, majors, and so much more that I can't list it all. The college search tool has helped me narrow down which college I want to attend, and it made a stressful process surprisingly not so stressful. I then moved to the scholarship search tool to find scholarships to apply for because I can't afford to pay for tuition myself. The search tool helped me find scholarships that I was eligible for. The tool gave me all the information I could ever need about a particular scholarship that was being offered. The CollegeXpress scholarship search tool is so much better than other tools offered, like the Chegg scholarship search. Thanks to CollegeXpress, I was able to apply to tons of scholarships in a relatively easy way!

Lydia Huth

Lydia Huth

Student, Campbell University; CollegeXpress Student Writer

I discovered CollegeXpress while embarking on my college search journey as an excited—but scared and way confused—high schooler without a counselor or college-bound sibling to give me advice. Let me tell you, I’m so glad that I stumbled on this community! CollegeXpress helped me find potential colleges and keep application deadlines straight. It gave me a great list of scholarships, and the blogs and emails made me feel like I wasn’t going it alone. Almost three years later and with freshman year of college down, I still love the CollegeXpress vibe so much that I’m writing for them. I’d recommend this site to anyone!

Hailey Riddile

Hailey Riddile

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me find scholarships to apply for and look into more colleges. While there are many websites similar to CollegeXpress, every website is different, and I've found a lot of good insight on this website. Receiving emails from CollegeXpress about scholarships is extremely useful, and getting insight about colleges near, far, and anywhere in between helps me narrow down my choices to what I want, which is also super helpful. The articles are always really good reads, and I can't stress enough how helpful this website has been to me. Anything related to college is beneficial to me as a senior, and I have learned lots of useful things to help me on my college journey this year.

Rayan Hamdan

Rayan Hamdan

High School Student

I joined CollegeXpress just a few months ago. I had been struggling with severe anxiety, causing me to not be able to tour schools and make sure a college would be perfect for me. I came across CollegeXpress one day when I was searching for colleges online, and it completely changed the game. I was easily able to choose colleges that would suit me, and I also entered a few giveaways! Thank you so much!

Damian Rangel

Damian Rangel

September 2021 Mini Scholarship Winner, High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress has helped me tackle college expenses, which will allow me to put more of my time and effort into my studies without the need of worrying as much about finances.