Dealing with Academic Stress

Academic Stress

Academic stress can arise in whatever stage of your studies you currently are, whether you are a first year, or a postgraduate student. Academic stress can affect your mental health, leading to burnout, anxiety, isolation, etc. We are here to help you tackle academic stress, so that you can achieve your goals without becoming a prisoner of your mind!

Academic stress can occur due to many reasons, such as: assignments and deadlines, coursework and projects, grades and expectations, social pressures, financial pressures, perfectionism, uncertainty, and balancing all of these at once. It can be really difficult finding a balance between all of your academic work, social aspects of life, and having some down time to relax and enjoy life without the feeling of guilt. We hope to offer you some advice or recommendations to reduce the inevitable academic stress.

Different types of academic stress and things you can do to tackle them (along with who to contact):

Academic Stress due to exams: 📚

During exam seasons it is easy to become overwhelmed, with all the revision and deadlines coming up! It is important to create some sort of schedule in which you can maintain a work-life balance (revision) while also carving out time for relaxation. The University of Sheffield offers workshops and advice on balancing your work-life balance and creating schedules. This is important in order to avoid burnout  … If you do however get into the groove and by accident study for 10 hours, make sure you take some rest the next day. There is no point in burning yourself out early on as it will slow down your overall performance. It is okay to take small steps towards your goal, and if you don’t have that long to study you can always get some advice from someone on the most efficient way to study a lot.

Small steps towards your goal = less exam stress.

Talk with other students on how they are studying, you can also ask older students for example if you have a mentor; they have a lot of experience with studying and exams. Your tutor or lecturers can also offer you great advice on studying.

The University of Sheffield offers a lot of support to help students with exam stress:

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/exams/support/stress

Workshops: https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/301/student-services/workshops

Academic stress due to assignments and deadlines: 📑

Every few months it may feel like you’ve got a gazillion deadlines due. A presentation, lab report, notes, exam, and your other responsibilities such as a job or extracurriculars. When a time like this comes… you might feel quite overwhelmed. It’s okay, take a breather and tackle each thing one by one by prioritising the tasks. Also remember, just because you have lots of work you don’t have to work yourself to your bone, you can still have a day to relax or go out with your friends. It is important to maintain your work-life balance as a way to avoid burnout or destroying your mental health. If you are struggling with the deadlines, you can ask for an extension.  

Helpful links:

Extenuating circumstances: https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/extenuating-circumstances/extension-procedure

Skills: https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/skills/mylearning

Writing lab report, and essays: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/academic-skills/study-skills-online/scientific-writing

Academic stress due to Grades and expectations: 💯

Academic stress can often arise due to the expectations and pressures you place on yourself. This can often be further lead to perfectionism, self-doubt, or imposter syndrome.

Academic stress due to financial pressures: 💵

Facing financial pressures may lead to academic stress and impact your mental health. If you are financially struggling, the university of Sheffield can offer a lot of support helping you. Here are some links:

Additional financial support: https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/financial-support/university/financial-support-fund-application

Funding: https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/financial-support

Student fees and funding (bursary section): https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/contacts/fees-funding

Money matters (financial difficulties): https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/support-hub/money

Academic stress due to social pressures: 

Being a student comes with many struggles. For some it may be forming social connections, meeting new people in a new place, or even being too social. Social struggles can contribute to academic stress, especially when you feel like you’re all alone and can’t seem to find a group of people to fit in. It is okay, you have time to make friends, don’t try to force social connections; the right people will come. One thing you can do is join a society, perhaps something you have always wanted to try or sounds interesting to you- this is a great way to meet people that share similar interests.

Societies: https://su.sheffield.ac.uk/activities/find-student-groups

Social Prescribing: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/health-service/conditions/social-prescribing

Connect with other students on Umii: https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/support-hub/umii

Academic stress due to uncertainty about the future:

It is quite stressful having to think about the future after your degree. Some people might be talking about certain plans they have laid out; however, majority of other students may also be uncertain about their future. Talk with other students, ask them about their ideas. If you have a mentor, write to them, and ask about their experiences and tips. Your tutor or lecturers can also give you some insight and ideas for your future. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, many people are not fully certain what they want to do after their degree. One helpful tip I got is that if you’re not sure what to do yet, then pick whatever you enjoy. It’s okay, you still have time. This degree also offers a lot of flexibility, if you decide this is not for you, and decide to do something very different.