Let's Talk About Stress

Stress has the potential to impact any aspect of our lives. Every individual has different stresses, but everyone will experience stress throughout their life. Stress can easily affect a person's emotions and health. This is why learning how to manage the stress in your life is a very important life tool. When you learn how to manage it you will obtain some control over your emotions, and you may be able to improve your health. Certainly, as a college student, I have plenty of stressors in my life with college applications, job interviews, exams, essays, assignments, projects etc. Many of you have these same stressors, however, we all have different environments that stress us out, but regardless of the cause of your stress, there are ways to relieve this stress that will work for many different kinds of situations. Here are some of the few ways I manage my stress:

Exercise is my go to when it comes to relieving stress. A good workout is not only good for your health, but it is also good for improving your mood. Instead of using food as a way to cope with stress, consider going for a walk, a run or head to the gym. Secondly, coloring is not only for children. Adult coloring books have recently become a trend. I find this activity to be calming, as the mindless activity distracts me from thinking about what is stressing me out. These books can typically be found at bookstores such as Barnes and noble, and craft stores such as Michael's. Reading is also a good way to take your mind off the things stressing you out. Similar to coloring, reading works as a distraction as I am placing myself in another world. However, I would not suggest trying to distress with dense reading material. I do not de-stress by reading a textbook (I wish). Choose a free read book, one you are genuinely interested in that is a moderate read.

Additionally, a great deal of stress originates from procrastination. You may not think of yourself as a procrastinator, but the truth is we all procrastinate to some degree. Planning ahead is a sure way to combat stress. Try planning your week ahead of time, typically during school I do this on Sunday, but set aside whatever day works best for you. You may find when you can visually see everything you have to do, it does not seem as much as you may have thought before you laid it out. Furthermore, one of the simplest ways to relieve stress is to take a hot bath or shower. This method is simple and although it may seem obvious it can be overlooked. After a long stressful day, there is nothing like a hot bath or shower to relax. Epsom salt is a good detox bath to consider, and you can also buy stress relieving bath soaps. Lastly, journaling is an old school technique that is highly effective. Today, almost everything can be done on a computer, so we tend to forget about simple pen and paper. Writing down every thought, and/or worry on your mind can be calming.

So, next time you find yourself stressed to the max, try one of these methods to relax. If you can learn how to manage your stress, you will live a much happier, healthier life.