Creating a balance isn’t always ideal— especially when work or school or family life is overwhelming and prominent. We can’t always control our circumstances, but we can control our stress levels with some life hacks to put some ease back into our normal, filled day. Being a college student who works and has a full class load with extracurriculars, I don’t have an overabundance of time for some R&R, so here are some of the tricks I use to de-stress whenever I’m about to lose my marbles:

About a year ago, I started to try something new whenever I had a rough day or needed a pick-me-up and that was Meditation. Eventually, it just became part of my everyday routine. It leaves me feeling at peace and uplifted, no matter my situation. To get a great meditation app, download the Deepak and Oprah 21-Day Meditation Experience or if you are in Fort Myers/Naples area, there are Drop-In Meditation classes but once you make this part of your everyday routine, the "big" stressors don't seem so big and bad.

Yoga. Hear me out, yoga is by no means easy, but you don't have to be good, flexible, or athletic to enjoy it. I started going to yoga on Fort Myers Beach and loved the environment and relaxation I got from it. So even though I can't make to the beach every Saturday morning for yoga, I find time to do it at home with my yoga mat from T.J.Maxx. Some great apps I use are-- Yoga Studio and Daily Yoga and also if you want more information on the best Yoga apps, Healthline is a great resource.

Making time to focus on your health and being active is so important. When I work out, everything else is put on hold and I get to focus on me and where I'm at. If you don't have time for a gym, download The Handstand App for fitness plans and workouts. If you can join a gym, I go to LA Fitness and really enjoy the equipment and classes, and I'm also a fan of Crunch Gym. However, I do want to start going to my University's gym at FGCU more to workout, so see if your school has one so you can swing by after studying or class!

Cooking isn't always my specialty, but it's something I'm working on. I'm always finding recipes I want to make and I get most inspired by foodie blogs. Anyways, as basic as it sounds, I google yummy food that is also healthy and started making some of those: Healthy Yummy Food and one of my favorite Food Blogger's site called Daily Dose of Pepper or you can be like me, and like to bake. In that case, I love Baking with Blondie and anything chocolate, so of course, here's some delicious recipes to take your mind off of anything else: Chocolate Heaven

Lastly, when I'm stressed or having a less than fabulous day, I try to find some distraction. Something that isn't work or tedious or overwhelming, so what's better than online shopping..... not much. I like to keep a budget, so I don't recommend doing this everyday, but here are some of my favorites to bring you a little bit of happiness. For jewelry: Gem and Company For clothing: Thirty One Boutique and Henri Girl.

Let's continue to be GirlBosses, who find peace in the midsts of all the chaos.