Arts Indigenous Student Advising Peer Advisor, Aiyana Twigg.
By Arts Indigenous Student Advising
As a student in university, one of my biggest struggles is managing stress. Stress is inevitable in students, whether it begins halfway through the semester during midterms, or at the end when you are cramming four months of work into a one-day study session. But there are ways to alleviate this stress!
The biggest game changer for me was when I started to manage my stress and understand what causes it. Stress can cause academic underperformance, which then makes you more stressed because you are not doing as well as you hoped. Who knew stress was really the culprit for academic underperformance?
Let’s look at some causes of stress in university students:
- Homework
- Exams
- Overloaded schedule
- Sleepless nights
- Work
- Changes in life (moving out, living independently)
- Extracurricular activities
My role as the Peer Advisor for Arts Indigenous Student Advising (AISA) is to support you in your university journey. Here are 6 stress management tips for Indigenous Arts students.
1. Visit Arts Indigenous Student Advising
AISA Advisors and Peer Advisors are here to create a community that promotes peer support for Indigenous students, leadership, laughter, and entertainment while attending UBC.
In addition to being the AISA peer advisor, I am also the main facilitator for the Indigenous Leadership Collective (ILC), where I facilitate meetings each month to discuss any pressing issues students would like to talk about, or to have fun, like playing games together.
If you ever feel lonely, or need to chat about your stress, academics, or even to have a laugh, we’re here for you. You can schedule a meeting or send a quick message to us and we will be in contact with you.
2. Have a manageable schedule
If you have an overloaded schedule, it can be hard to find ways to relax. Having time to yourself is the best way to destress. Check your schedule, and find time throughout the day to focus on yourself.
I started using a planner and a dry erase calendar to keep myself organized. And let me tell you, it has changed my life for the better! Aim for at least an hour a day to debrief, think, and focus on yourself. Don’t overload your schedule with unnecessary plans.
3. Keep a journal
If you are feeling stressed, sometimes it can be helpful to write down what is stressing you out or bothering you. Sometimes we don’t realize what is bothering us, but once we start writing it is revealed in what we write about.
Keeping a daily or even weekly journal releases your thoughts, almost as if a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. This way, you can go back and check what you wrote about, and may be able to identify what was causing your stress.
I was skeptical of this trick at first, until I started keeping a journal myself. I bought a cheap notebook from the dollar store, and I would try to write in it once a week, so that I could keep my thoughts and emotions at bay. Writing in my journal once a week turned out to be fun, and has become a part of my everyday life!
4. Go on walks daily
Going on walks daily is a great way to de-stress. During your walk, you are free to think to yourself, or not think at all! Whatever you want to do or think about during your walk is totally up to you, and can help relieve stress you didn’t even know you had.
Aim to walk for at least 10–15 minutes a day. During this time, you are taking time for yourself to think and debrief. According to David Greeneq in his article, How Walking Can Boost Your Mood and Reduce Stress, walking calms your brain because it means me-time, boosts stress-busting endorphins which reduce your stress hormones, and reduces fatigue. All of these points are reasons why you should be walking daily!
5. Listen to music
Personally, I find that listening to music helps me when I am feeling down, stressed, and anxious. Music has a way of healing your mind and soul, whether you realize it or not.
The next time you are feeling stressed, try listening to calming music. Sometimes we just need to block the world around us, and what better way to do that than with music? Listen to the beat, and let your mind wander. It sounds simple, but can prove to be helpful. I like to listen to the lo-fi hip hop beats playlist on Spotify when I study, feel stressed, or when I want to relax!
6. Try smudging
According to Debra Courchene, an Anishinaabe knowledge keeper, Indigenous people would smudge to cleanse the air of negative spirits and negative energy, and replace it with positive energy. Her explanation of smudging is based on how she was taught, but there are different ways Indigenous people smudge depending on their nation, and some Indigenous people have different practices and don’t smudge. I will share Debra’s way of smudging, but feel free to use your own knowledge of smudging.
You can smudge daily, or whenever you are feeling off. To begin smudging, gather your sage into a ball, put it into a glass bowl, and use a match to light the sage. Do not blow on the sage, instead use your hand to fan the smudge. While smudging it is important to have good thoughts.
There are a number of different ways you can approach smudging. If you are interested, and would like to learn more culturally appropriate ways to smudge, feel free to contact me at aiyana.twigg@ubc.ca. In addition, AISA in collaboration with the First Nations House of Learning (FNHL), will be holding a workshop on smudging February 11, 2021 via Zoom. Contact myself, AISA, or Siera Stonechild from FNHL at siera.stonechild@ubc.ca for more information about the workshop or the zoom link.
If you’re an Indigenous student enrolled in UBC Arts or a prospective student interested in studying in UBC Arts, contact an Arts Indigenous Student Advising (AISA) advisor for academic or cultural support.
Aiyana Twigg is Ktunaxa and Blackfoot. She is in her third year at UBC, pursuing a double major in FNEL and Anthropological linguistics. She is the AISA peer advisor and main facilitator for the Indigenous Leadership Collective.
