It's a new school year and we are all excited to be back at college. No matter how our summer went, we were happy coming back to see our friends again, join more organizations, meet new people, and go to fun campus events! Syllabus week seems so easy, when everyone meets their new professors for the semester and gets adjusted to their schedules. Then about 3 weeks in, we already have 3 papers due, 2 exams, a bunch of club meetings and still need time to sleep and have a social life. So we think to ourselves, how did we get so busy with work so fast? College starts to become stressful and we become tired. But here are 7 ways to deal with stress in college, so you stay okay:
1. Exercise- Okay, I'm not a workout fanatic myself, but exercising a few times at the gym or wherever you like to go to workout doesn't hurt. Doing cardio exercises, such as running, help blood circulate in your body and sweat out toxins. It also helps your mind focus on other things instead of what you may be thinking about that is making you stressed out. If you don't really like running, you can listen to music while you run and run to your favorite songs. There are other things to do at the gym: weightlifting, using the treadmill, cyclical machines, swimming (if your school has a pool), playing sports, and yoga. Whatever you like that to do that will work your mind and body and cause you to focus on the task at hand, do it! It will help you feel better.
2. Sleeping- Taking a nap every once in a while definitely helps deal with stress; I can attest to that. I know a lot of you are busy and feel that you might not have time to take a nap, but honestly even 5 minutes of just closing your eyes is something! Sometimes I don't really have time to take an hour nap like I usually would, so I sit and close and put my head down for 15 minutes and nap. When you wake up you'll feel like you pressed a reset button and all the stress and tiredness you felt before the nap has settled down a bit. Your head has calmed down for a while, so you can continue on with your day.
3. Showering- Going for a bath or shower will for sure help you relieve the stress you've been feeling. Who doesn't want to smell and feel clean and wash all their problems away? You get your body soap, face soap (if you have that), cleansing cloth and you take that shower! Coming out of the bathroom, your body feels fresh again and it will relax you so you can continue on with whatever tasks you planned on doing.
4. Using stress relief instruments- What if you don't have time for all that I previously mentioned? Well you can buy instruments that you can play with in dealing with stress, such as a stress ball, whirly wheel, or scalp massage. Maybe for a few minutes you stop what you were doing or thinking about that made you stressed. You focus your attention on using these stress instruments and clear your mind for a while.
5. Talking to someone- Find someone that you believe is a good listener and you can express how you're feeling. That may be a family member or a close friend. If you feel that you don't have anyone that you can trust to talk about why you're feeling stressed, campus counselors are available. You could go to your University's health services and sit down with a professional to talk about why you are feeling stressed out. If what's making you stressed is having a negative affect on your life, they could offer professional advice on steps to get you better.
6. Listening to music- Whichever music app you use, clicking that playlist to songs that describe whatever mood your feeling will help with dealing with stress. I know when I'm feeling stressed, almost kind of sad I like to listen to rock songs with spirited anthems and heavy drum beats (i.e. Linkin Park). If I need songs to calm me down, I'll listen to songs that either have no singing in them (i.e. classical music) or smooth, soulful singing (i.e. Adele, Sade). The rhythm combined with lyrics and instruments will have you humming along to the songs and again shifting your focus somewhere else a bit.
7. Breathing and Quietness- I know it may be hard to find an empty, quiet spot on campus, because there's a lot of people and activities going on, but there are still places. It could just be some corner or hallway in a building that few people pass by. Take a deep breath, close your eyes for a minute or two and just remind yourself that you will be okay. That can be your quiet corner, to get a way from what is happening on your mind and allow you to settle your thoughts.
