Stress Management: How to manage stress during the application process?

We all know how hectic applying to universities can be. Figuring out what you want to do with your future, and working towards something that will ultimately decide the rest of your life is stressful for a number of factors, including how uncertain everything seems to be at the moment. Will you make it, will universities think you’re good enough to be a part of their program, have you worked hard enough to make the difference, are you good enough, will you continue to be good enough with them, will you make it matter when it’s needed most, etc. These are some of the continuous thoughts one has while thinking about the future, and these add on to the anxiety and stress that’s already been built up.

Stress is one of the fundamentals of applying to university. Usually, short bursts of stress contribute to productivity, and often help you make deadlines or complete a task. It’s very important to understand how you can deal with all the pressures and tensions of this process in order to make sure it doesn’t ruin the track your life is on.

One way of managing this stress is organizing and reflecting. You could set goals for what you hope to achieve from your application process and that would make you feel more in control and provide a clearer perspective on your short-term and long-term goals. At the end of each day, think about all you’ve achieved (not what you haven’t). This should greatly reduce your stress and make you feel better.

Time management is also key. Set a timeline of all deadlines that need to be met, and figure out when you should be done with certain tasks. This would help you be more flexible and help in easing the anxiety, so you can have time to do other things. If you’re in high school, this would help you leave time for your studies, extracurriculars, social gatherings etc. so your entire world and thoughts wouldn’t revolve around university and the future, which would let you feel more relaxed.

Saying is easier than doing, it’s what we’ve grown up hearing. And it’s easy to say that this and this can help with so and so. The tough part is taking the first step to actually resolve the issue. In the end, there’s only so much we can do. Do the best and utilize the entirety of your potential and energy, and at the end, all you can do is trust the process!