College is stressful for me. Assignments, trying to get enough sleep, finding the time to eat, wanting to get ahead in classes but only managing to catch up. I have a hard time taking a step back to relax. This will be a list of things that relax me to remind myself and others that everything you do is for you, so you need to take care of yourself first.
1. The Outdoors
Weather permitting, I love being outside. There's nothing like the feeling of sun kissing your skin walking back from class or the wind blowing gently to relieve the heat of the sun that you had just begun to notice. The air in the mountains feels different in my lungs, almost as if it does a better job of filling them. It's like aromatherapy; it had a distinct smell. Maybe it's the feeling of connection with the other beings who have breathed the same air. Maybe it's becoming self-aware momentarily and concentrating on the tightening and relaxation of my diaphragm that draws air in and pushes it out. My thoughts get calmer and more existential when I spend time outside. To clarify, I don't mean outside or the outdoors as in 'not in a building.' Being on the streets of Baltimore or in the middle of a parking lot is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about looking outside and seeing green. Seeing trees and wild grasses, shrubs, if I'm lucky a stream. The less evidence of people, the better.
2. Music
Like the outdoors, music can take my mind away from reality. A lot of the music I listen to its nostalgic and it reminds me of when I didn't have so many anxieties. When I zone into the music, it's sort of like a music video. There are events going on around the beat of the lyrics. I guess I can call it daydreaming, but daydreaming is often seen negatively and people who do it aren't taken seriously. I think imaginative escape is better because it recognizes that reality isn't always as welcoming and pleasant. Music is the best friend who always knows how to our your feelings into words.
3. Long Showers
Especially in college, I can't often find time to relax with a long shower. There is so much to do in so little time, I forget myself. Luckily, I keep up with personal hygiene, but nothing special. It's just very comforting to be so lazy as to have something else produce heat so your body doesn't have to. Not to mention the muscle relaxation if the water is hot. Washing off the stress of the day just like the layer of dirt, oils, and dust on skin.
4. A Combination
An ideal setting would be all three of these put together. However, a hot tub in the middle of a forest with surround sound is a little unrealistic. Fortunately, a combination of two is often achieved. Music during a shower, music while outside, and sometimes, someone back home has a hot tub on their deck, overlooking the woods. In any circumstance, I look forward to the things later in my day that comfort me. That's my advice to anyone else. Look forward to your destressers and when they are upon you, focus on them. Live in them for a little while. We all need it.
