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How Students Can Reduce Stress

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STUDENT STRESSLife as a student is full of stress especially when you reach the next level and have to leave home to go to a university.  It can get overwhelming to be in a new school and not know anybody. Not only that, the pressure of getting good grades, the pressure of fitting in and even the freedom to do things on your own can really put a lot of pressure on a student and many can’t handle it very well. You must consider this stage in your life as practice for what lies ahead in your future. After college you will be living in the real world and you have to adapt and handle the day to day pressure of earning money for you and your family and the pressures of finding a job and how to keep your job. In order to overcome it, you should get yourself organized and prepared for what’s going to happen next whether it is an expected or an unexpected situation. What you will learn in the university outside the academics will also apply to your life after school. You need to learn how to handle the pressure and stress (affiliate link) both for your personal life and with all the requirements in school.

Here are some great tips to help students like you to manage and reduce stress. First most important tip for students is to manage time. Time management (affiliate link) is important because you should balance everything from classes, studies, parties, practice and everything else. In order to have time for all these things you should make your own timetable and write down all your activity there and stick with it. This way you can do everything that is important to you and still have time for leisure.

Now what if you have a lot of things to do in just a short amount of time? This needs the help of tip #2 which is to prioritize. You’re just human you can’t do everything so you need to learn to prioritize. Do the most important things first. If you have to choose between studying for an exam and partying with friends then you should ask yourself what is the most important to you. Of course studying is the most important and that should always be your top priority. If this is not your top priority then you shouldn’t have enrolled in the first place. Also, if you have to cram to study because you did not put this as your top priority you will be more stressed as you try to squeeze to learn everything in a short amount of time when you could have studied earlier and be stress-free.

With joggling time between school and leisure, relationships could get stressful too. In fact, relationships will continue to be stressful every once in awhile not just during your time in school but all throughout your years. As a student you must realize that studies should always be your top priority and you must consider that this is just the start of your love life and you will have many more relationships after college. It’s not worth being too stressed out with your relationship and sacrificing your studies.

Finances could be a problem to students too and can cause a lot of stress. You should create your budget of expenses and lower your cost as much as possible. If your budget is not enough, look for part time jobs or financial aids to help you out. Also, students get scared about their future that they lose their focus in their studies and worry about what lies ahead. It’s best to not think about those and just focus on your studies. Remember, the better you do in school the better your chances of landing a good job in the future. Problems in the economy are just temporary and won’t affect you forever. If you do well in school, your knowledge will stay with you forever.

Please feel free to Post a comment or share your thoughts through Facebook, Twitter or comment section below to join the conversation.

Back Packs Safety – Back to School and 14 Helpful Tips

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It is not a secret that heavy back (BP) packs for school children are the leading cause of lower back and shoulder pain. I have seen too many children in my almost ten years of my practice suffering from this problem unnecessary. About 40,000,000 students go to school every day. It is crucial that every child carries their schoolpacks properly in order to avoid neck, lower back and shoulder pain.

Make sure the backpack is the right size for your child. The proper size is equal to 75% of your child’s back, meaning the space between the waste and the shoulder blades.
* A child’s back pack weight should never exceed 15% of their body weight according to The Congress of Chiropractic State Association. So this little chart should be helpful.
50 pound child carrying copacity should be no more than 7.5 pounds
80 pound child carrying copacity should be no more than 12 pounds
100 pound child carrying copacity should be no more than 15 pounds
130 pound child carrying copacity should be no more than 19.5 pounds
150 pound child carrying copacity should be no more than 22.5 pounds
* Choose a backpack with padded shoulder straps that sit on both shoulders. BP with one strap such as messenger bags distribute all the weight on one shoulder instead of evenly on both shoulders. Also, bak pack without padded shoulder straps can cause pressure on the nerves that surround the child’s armpits.
Safety tips on how to avoid backpack injuries

  1. Wear both shoulder straps evenly to properly distribute BP weight.
  2. Get the correct size BP for your child.
  3. The BP should not extend below the lower back. Bigger is not better.
  4. Lighten the load and put the heaviest items in the BP first keeping them the closest to the body.
  5. Lift the BP with your legs and not with your back and place it on one shoulder strap at a time.
  6. Do not leave BP on the floor to avoid someone tripping on them.
  7. Choose a quality BP that has wide well-cushioned shoulder straps with a lumbar support/padding.
  8. Talk to teachers about reducing the need to bring home textbooks or if at all possible have an extra set for home use.
  9. Bend at the knees.
  10. Using both of your hands, check the weight of the BP.
  11. Never sling the BP onto one shoulder and avoid swinging the BP.
  12. Use both shoulder straps at all times. Make them snug but not too tight. Carrying on one shoulder can cause long-term neck, shoulder, back, and postural problems.
  13. Use the stabilizing waste strap if the BP has one present.
  14. Look for signs that BP is poorly fitted or overloaded on a daily basis. A couple signs that the BP is overloaded or not being worn properly is pain, red marks from the  straps, or poor posture.

Being a Safe Backpack Advocate

School’s authorities and children’s  parents must work together in resolving heavy BP issue. The following things can be done by school’s authorities:

  1. allowing students more time in between classes to use lockers
  2. purchasing paperback books
  3. implementing school education programs about safe backpack use
  4. purchasing books on CD-ROM or putting some curriculum on the school’s website, when possible

Adjustment of the backpack would be necessary if one of the following things happened:

  1. Your child struggles to get the BP on or off have back pain and  lean forward to carry the BP
  2. If your child has back pain or numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, talk to your family doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist.

Some  Facts were taken from The Founders of  Backpack Safety America International TM. Visit them at www.backpacksafe.com

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) endorses the use of Air Pack brand backpacks which are available at www.airpacks.com

Please Leave some comments with your favorite back to school story!