Are you feeling overwhelmed in college? Does it seem like everything you have to do is spinning in your head? You continue attending classes and your to-do list continues to grow. Maybe you feel like you are not making progress or you are so overwhelmed you do not even know where to start. Everything feels stressful and very chaotic.
Yup, I know this feeling all too well. As a student studying engineering, I think this state of overwhelm was a normal part of my college life. Late nights in the lab and never ending group projects. Feeling so stressed that you cannot even focus on a task at hand because you are thinking about the other 121 things on your to-do list.
I want to share with you the tips I learned that can help reduce stress and what you can do to avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed in the first place.
But first, let’s talk about if it normal to feel this way.
Is it normal to feel overwhelmed in college?
Let me start by reassuring you it is totally normal to feel this way. Shockingly, studies show 80% of college students feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities.
Why is it so high?
Well, ironically you are going to college to learn. However, the life skills needed to thrive in college are not taught. Some of these skills include note taking, studying, time management, and organization.
Somehow, college students are expected to learn these skills on their own. So on top of your classes, homework, extracurriculars, social life, and figuring out how to live on your own, you also need to gain these critical skills on the fly. It is no wonder 80% of college students reported feeling overwhelmed! Being expected to juggle all of these items without the proper tools will cause this.
How To Stop Being Overwhelmed In College
Here are the steps you can take right now if you are feeling overwhelmed with your workload to take back control.
1. Take A Step Back
Chances are if you are feeling overwhelmed, you are not thinking clearly. Therefore, it is critical to take a deep breath and take a break. You will not be productive in this state anyway, so don’t feel guilty for doing this. Get away from your work, even if it is only for a half an hour. This will do wonders for your well-being.
Choose a self-care activity that helps relieve stress. This will activate the “feel good” hormones in your brain, which will help relax you. Here are some suggestions:
- Get lunch with friends
- Call a family member
- Exercise
- Do a hobby
- Take walk
- Read a book
- Practice yoga
Once you are feeling calm and you can think clearer, now it is time to go to work.
2. Do A Brain Dump
Set a timer for 15 minutes and devote this uninterrupted time to getting everything out of your head and onto paper. Not just school work, I mean everything, such as social commitments, work, financial issues, anything stressing you out.
The overwhelmed feeling that makes us feel like giving up can come from all of the things we need to do. It feels like everything around you is in chaos, there are a number of competing priorities, which leaves you with no idea where to even start.
You see, the reason you feel overwhelmed is because your mind is working on overdrive trying to keep up with everything.
The moment you start writing things down, you will free up space in your head so that you can focus on more important things.
Your brain thrives on organization so creating a to-do list is one of the easiest ways to beat the feeling of anxiety and become more productive. Science supports this theory.
Professors at Wake Forest University demonstrated that individuals preformed well on tasks, when they were able to make a plan for one task and then move to the next. Even if they did not finish the first task, they were still more productive on the second task.
Putting the task on paper gets it out of your head so you are telling your mind it does not need to try to keep remembering that thing and that you have a plan for it. That is why having a list automatically makes you feel better. The ideas will stop swirling because you aren’t trying to remember everything.
3. Delegate Or Eliminate Unimportant Tasks
Now that you have your list, identify tasks that you can either delegate or eliminate. The objective is to free up your time so that you can focus on the most important activities.
Are there tasks that someone else can help you out with? For instance, can your parents or friend do your grocery shopping or laundry? Maybe get take out instead of making your meals that day. It is okay to ask for help. Your friends and loved ones want you to succeed so they will be more than willing to help you.
Eliminate tasks that you do not have to do or are unimportant to your overall goals. Did you overcommit to activities? Can you cancel any commitments? You need to take care of your needs first during this time. Therefore, It is okay to say no to obligations so that you can free up your time to work on your priorities.
4. Prioritize Your List
Once you have a list of things that must get done, it is time to prioritize. Put the tasks that are either most important or have a time sensitive deadline at the top. Remember you can only have one number one task. This goes for everything on the list- no ties!
5. Start Doing
Now that your priorities are straight and your tasks are organized, start doing! Take one task at a time and work your way through your list. Do not try to do everything at once or you will get overwhelmed again.
Once you complete your first task you will start gaining momentum. You see, the act of completing tasks triggers the release of dopamine, which is one of the “feel good” neurotransmitters in your brain. This causes you to feel great. Added bonus- your brain will crave more of it, thus making you want to continue to complete tasks.
Continue this process one task at a time so you continue to make progress and move forward.
How To Avoid Getting Overwhelmed
Now that you have gone from overwhelmed to organized and feeling great, let’s talk about how to avoid getting overwhelmed again. There are many causes that can lead to people feeling stressed out, but the majority of the reasons are caused by being disorganized and poor time management. These are life skills that you will use beyond college. So here are things you can do proactively to stay organized and improve your time management to reduce the overwhelm.
1. Stay Organized
Keeping on top of assignments and knowing what is due when, will help you from feeling overwhelmed. You need an organization system in order to keep track of everything. This is a personal preference but you need to choose one. Here are some options:
- Physical Planner
- Calendar
- Digital Planner
With a degree in engineering, my favorite method is excel (so this falls in the digital planner category). I gravitate to using excel for pretty much everything in both my personal and work life (budgeting, planning events, planning projects). A spreadsheet is a great way to stay organized for a few reasons.
First, I like that it is digital so it is easy to edit and I always have it with me. Google Sheets even has an app making it easy to access even on your phone. Secondly, you can sort by due date, which makes it simple to prioritize your tasks. Then, you will never fall behind. Finally, you can create sheets for each aspect of your life- such as school, personal, and finance. This way you have your whole life organized in one spreadsheet.
Whatever system you choose, you start the same way. Take all of the syllabi for each class and document when all assignments, projects, quizzes, and tests are due. Ideally, this is something that should be done at the beginning of each semester. However, if you have not been doing this the second best time to start is now. Then, as the semester progresses keep track of other tasks by adding them to your system.
2. Do Not Get Behind
The second key to avoiding the overwhelmed feeling is to not get behind. The two main reasons for falling behind in college are procrastination and confusion.
Let’s tackle procrastination first.
Avoid Procrastination
For most, college is the first time you are on your own and you are in control of how your time is spent. Your parents are no longer telling you to do your homework. You can choose to do it or not.
However, if you try to learn all the material the day before a test it will not go well. Maybe you could get away with that in high school, but it won’t fly in college. In higher education, the breadth of knowledge covered on tests is much greater. Therefore, do not procrastinate.
It starts with showing up to class and taking effective notes. Then, studying a little everyday and grasping the larger concepts after each lecture. Also, making sure you are starting assignments early to ensure you have plenty of time to complete it. Doing this’ll prevent you from not having enough time to finish an assignment or cramming before a test, both of which will cause you to feel overwhelmed.
Get Your Questions Answered
The second reason for falling behind is confusion. If you do not understand a lecture or assignment, make sure you find a way to figure it out. Your classes are accumulative, so if something does not make sense to you, then chances are the next lesson you are not going to understand either. Everything builds on the previous lesson. Here are some of the ways you can get help so you do not fall behind:
- Attend office hours- Both professors and teaching assistants hold office hours. Professors like to get to know their students so show up. Sometimes hearing it explained a different way or a second time will help it click.
- Ask questions- In class, after class, via email, or at office hours, there are ample opportunities to get an answer. Professors are very available so there is no excuse not to have a question answered.
- Go to class- You do not know when there will be a pop quiz or something covered that wasn’t in the textbook. Make sure you aren’t missing anything.
- On campus resources- Colleges and universities offer a number of resources to their students. Learn about what your campus offers and seek these resources out. Some include the tutoring center, writing center, and academic achievement office.
3. Practice Self-Care
Lastly, practice self-care. Taking care of yourself will make managing stress easier and help you evade burnout. This means making sure you are getting enough rest and having some outlets for de-stress. College is a lot of work, but you cannot sacrifice your sleep and mental health, otherwise your work will suffer.
You Got This!
Remember, feeling overwhelmed is temporary and this too shall pass. Even when you have no idea where to start, know there is a way out.
Winston Churchill described this best when he said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
If you are feeling overwhelmed, start by following these five steps:
- Take a step back
- Do a brain dump
- Delegate or eliminate unimportant tasks
- Prioritize your list
- Start doing
Then, follow this process to avoid becoming overwhelmed:
- Stay organized
- Do not get behind
- Avoid Procrastination
- Get your questions answered
- Practice self-care
If you enjoyed this article on what to do if you are overwhelmed in college or have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below!
Want more? Don’t miss these helpful posts!