Where Should I Start?
Being a university student comes with many stressors which can often be difficult to balance with other responsibilities that you have outside of school. Stress is a normal part of the university experience and doesn’t mean that you cannot be a successful student. In fact, a small amount of stress benefits your performance, but too much can act as a barrier (Academic Success, University of Toronto). While we cannot eliminate stress altogether, there are some strategies that can help us manage our stress.
As a student with disabilit(ies), you may feel higher levels of stress than your non-disabled peers. At times it may take you longer to do your work, it might be more taxing physically and/or cognitively and your schedule may need to be different to balance the impacts of your disability, including attending health care appointments.
It is important to note that learning strategies alone may not be enough to effectively manage any stress you experience. If this is the case, you may want to connect with your healthcare practitioner and connect with your campus’s counselling office if you do not have a counsellor available in the community.
I want to improve… |
Strategies & Resources |
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Staying on track with my assignments/starting my assignments early enough
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| Balancing my responsibilities inside & outside school | |
| My motivation to do school work | |
| Anxiety while preparing for or writing exams |
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| Confidence in completing my work |