You have 2,059 unread emails. You have a seven page paper that you haven't started due at midnight. You have two exams tomorrow. You are falling apart at the seams. No, I am not here to tell you it is okay because, let's be honest, that probably won't prevent the mental breakdown that will occur later. But I am here to help. To give you a few ways to cope with the inevitable mental breakdown. It will happen. Let it happen.
1. Dance.
And I mean dance. Go ahead and judge me all you want, but one of the best ways to de-stress is to dance. And I don't mean the type of dancing you do at frat parties to attract all the boys. No; I mean flailing and jumping and spinning until you fall over from dizziness. If you don't want the haters to judge you, I would suggest doing this somewhere private. I can guarantee this will help you. I have incredibly fond memories of my roommate and I turning on One Direction and jamming out until we couldn't jam anymore. You will laugh. You will smile. You will feel a teensy bit better. I promise.
2. Take a walk.
Have you ever looked outside and just cherished where you go to school? We have a mesmerizingly beautiful campus right at our fingertips. Providing that it's not windy enough to knock you off your feet (not uncommon) or raining, taking a walk is a great way to de-stress. I think the power of going outside is completely underestimated. Sometimes you need to breathe the outside air instead of the stale, sad air inside of the library. Take a walk, and allow yourself to enjoy your surroundings. Then go back to that mountain of work, refreshed.
3. Take a music break.
This one requires no movement, so it's good for you lazy people (aka me). Find a really good song. I mean a great song. A song you can subtly jam out to. And listen to it a few times until you feel sane enough to look at your work. Personally, I enjoy "R U Mine?" by the Arctic Monkeys because it's the perfect balance of angry and enjoyable. Find a song that reflects how stressful you are (maybe some heavy metal for you really stressed people), and just listen to it a few times and don't think about anything else. And then go back to your work, and hopefully it will be a tiny bit better.
4. Make a pretty to-do list
Listen. I know what you're thinking. How would writing out ALL OF THE WORK I HAVE TO DO HELP? But listen to me, people. Write out a to-do list, but make it pretty. Use colorful pens. Or draw smiley faces next to things. Make things pretty. It sounds weird, but using colorful pens always helps me. So go get yourself a package of quality colored pens, and write things out to your heart's content. It will make you feel infinitely more organized.
5. Call your parents/significant other/best friend
No one can calm me down like my parents can. My mom always reminds me that things will be okay, even if the drama queen within me thinks that it's the end of the world. She knows just what to say. She will also send me pictures of my dog whenever she knows I'm upset (#blessed). So call someone, and allow yourself to take those few minutes to listen to what they have to say to calm you down (or allow yourself to rant like a monster).
6. Watch an animal video
Nothing you will make you feel better quite like a video of a sloth giving a piece of his little flower to a human (how generous). Animal videos cure all problems. Find one you like a lot, and save the link. Designate this as your "I'm going to have a mental breakdown" video, and when you feel yourself slip to that dark place watch it once or twice. No, it won't take away any of the work you have due by midnight or the exam that you haven't started studying for, but it will make you laugh, and it will make you smile. And it will motivate you to finish your degree so you can play with all these cute animals you watch online.
7. Shower
In the words of the great and iconic Hilary Duff, "Let the rain fall down
And wake my dreams." Showering is a fantastic thing. In my opinion, it's a super relaxing and easy way to de-stress AND get clean. One of my friends suggested showering stress away a long time ago, and it stuck with me. She argued that the water was washing away all the stressful parts of her life. Deep, I know. But you never know! A shower could really help you when you're stressed. You'll come out clean and recharged.
8. Remind yourself that whatever is stressing you out is not the end of the world
Hard to believe, I know. But trust me, whatever is happening in your life is probably not the end of the world. Sure, that exam may be worth a large chunk or your grade. But it's not the end of the world. Grades are grades, and as long as you tried your best, that is what matters. You will fail sometimes (lol). It is okay. It may suck for a little bit after, but it doesn't dictate your whole life. Just tell yourself you will try harder on the next one (and actually try harder).
All in all, stress is inevitable. We are in college. We have to juggle full schedules and figuring out what to do with the rest of our lives! But keep in mind that you will get through. And that you will have some great memories along the way. You never know what can come out of it!
Good luck my fellow disheveled college students. I believe in you.
