Mindfulness.

Breathing is a proven way to relieve anxiety. We all have heard "breathe in two, three breathe out, two, three." But have you ever really tried it? This is my No. 1 way of releasing stress, no matter what situation I am in: this calms my heart rate and clears my mind.

Mindfulness itself is a whole practice, you have to concentrate on your thoughts and acknowledge them. This is different from meditation, where you completely clear your mind, which can seem impossible especially when overwhelmed. So, instead of ignoring your problems and letting them overcome you.

Sit down, breathe, maybe put on one of those "Piano Music For Studying" or "Music For Meditation" YouTube videos, and concentrate on what the problems are. Then acknowledge them and think about how to resolve them. Within no time, you will be grinding harder than the Industrial Revolution!

Exercise.

I know, I know, it is incredibly cliche. But exercise is proven to relieve stress, and you will also be simultaneously improving your mental and physical health. Now I don't know about you, but I am not a fan of the gym. That might be because I am a college student and feel like a constant look-book at the university gym.

Not to mention the fact that I have no idea how to use anything other than the treadmill. As a result, I have found that there are so many different ways to get those endorphins running and that overwhelming stress gone, other than pumping steel.

Most gyms have classes like Zumba, spin, yoga, Pilates, barre, boxing, and much more. As a last resort, you could honestly just drop down and do some push-ups, sit-ups, planks, squats, really anything.

Once you're done you will feel accomplished, feeling like you did something will help you feel less overwhelmed.

Bake cookies.

There is nothing like fresh baked cookies, you can make them from scratch or buy them store-bought. The smell, the taste, the nostalgia- it can bring you to a happy place when nothing else can.

I personally love to make cookies from scratch and I have a really easy recipe that I use from Tasty.com. I've made these many times, they only take about 30 minutes to make and the feeling of accomplishment at making homemade cookies is amazing.

Watch mindless videos.

My favorite (and most dangerous) way to take my mind off things is to watch videos that don't take a lot of mental power. But I don't let myself do it for too long.

In order to not get sucked into to trap and never get anything done, set a timer for 20 minutes then get to work, watch one video get back to work. Try not to watch shows because you will want to keep watching *cough we all have binging problems cough cough*.

Listen to a podcast, watch a cooking video, go on Tik Tok, just do not get sucked in. Afterward, you will feel refreshed and ready to take on the problems you are facing.

Draw or journal.

This may sound like more work than relaxation but just give it a chance. When overwhelmed, writing down what's going on, getting it out of your head is incredibly helpful.

It could be anything from your friends upsetting you to the list of things you need to do! that's the beauty of journaling and doodling. No one has to see what you doodle or write, you could draw a huge pyramid made of circles, flowers, or even a full drawing of a human or landscape.

Additionally, it is not something you have to do, so there's no pressure. It will help things get into perspective, clear your mind, and help concentration.

FaceTime your family.

Your family is there for you no matter what, you can always count on that. When far from home, talking to a close relative can always put things into perspective, calm you down, and make you feel supported.

There isn't much to say here, family is the only constant in life and that's something that you should use to help you.

Organize.

I've learned that the space around you really affects your mindset. For example, when I am overwhelmed and/or upset then come home to a dirty and cluttered room I feel even more overwhelmed and heavy, but when it's clean I know there is one less thing to worry about or make me feel bad.

I mean, there's nothing like a freshly cleaned room or that warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. When life feels a little overwhelming, it can never hurt to check your agenda, clean your desk or backpack, do laundry, or really anything to make yourself feel in control of your surroundings.

You may not be able to control the fact that you have three essays, two quizzes, and a speech due this week, but you can make sure the space you live in is clean. That way when you get home and are stressed you can just sink into your relaxing space.