As a college student, I like to think I know a bit about stress. Due to my extensive experience with stress, I've had no choice but to find different ways to deal with it. I have compiled a small list of my favorite things to do when I am feeling stressed. Some of these may seem weird, some of these you may have seen before but I definitely think you should try them and if you think of some comment below.

1. Take a break

This is probably the one you always hear all the time; this seriously helps though. It's great because there's so much you can do with your break and you can choose how long you want to break for. You can take a five minute break and have a dance party you can take a 30 minute break and watch a TV show on Netflix. Or my favorite you can take an hour long break and nap. (WARNING: This may result in a longer break than anticipated)

2. Vent to a friend

We are all probably stressed about something whether it be school, work, friends, family, everything, nothing, whatever it may be. When you vent to a friend they will feel relieved that they are not the only ones stressing out and they can either give you ideas to help or lend a ear while you vocalize your problem which somethings is just as nice and finding a solution.

3. Write it out

Sometimes the things we are stressed about is not something we want to say out loud. As crazy as it may sound the stress may be coming from an unknown source and you feel you can't vocalize it without confusing someone else. You may not want someone to tell you what you should do or what they would do if they were you. A great alternative to telling a friend is to write it out in a journal of some sort. The best part about this is that when you finally write everything out you can read it over to make it clear just what exactly is bothering you or you can take power over the stress and rip up the piece of paper.

4. Enjoy a hobby for a little while

This could be under the section for taking a break but I believe it needed to stand alone. You should do something you never have time to do. I love recreational reading however, I have textbooks and regular books I have to read for class as well as work and clubs that I have to do and be a part of. I checked two books out of the library at the beginning of the semester and here it is in November and I haven't gotten through one of them. When stressed I take a moment to myself and I just read a little bit. Your hobby may be a bit different. I love to read but someone else may want to run, or crochet, or play video games

5. Read the Bible

I am a religious person, but if you are not you can go ahead and skip over this one. But I have an app on my phone that gives your daily inspirations another app that gives your random encouragement throughout the day for example today I got " It's okay, try again... This time with God." if you don't have one of those apps or you prefer to just read the bible a couple of scriptures I read are, Mark 11:23, 1 Peter 3:13, Luke 1:26-38, James 1: 2-4, and Psalm 94:19.

6. Create positive affirmations

This can be an alternative to people who are not religious. You can great regular sticky notes and just write out the things you want to remember when you are stressed that you believe will keep you going. I write mine on regular yellow sticky notes and post them on my mirror as a reminder when I wake up as well as on my desk for those late nights that you are doing work and want to give up. Some of mine read "Relax you will succeed." Another one says " Don't think about how tired you are now think about how great you will feel when you're done." Just have that there to read and give you a reminder of when your wrote them and how good you felt.

7. Treat yourself

If you're stressed chances are, you're probably not taking care of yourself. When I hear treat yourself I think about extravagant gift and expensive trips to the mall and I know as a college student that my budget does not permit that. Treat yourself on a lower scale by taking a nice relaxing bubble bath or if you live on campus with communal showers, shower when you know nobody else will be there and the water will be hot and just like the water run over you. When you get out of the shower moisturize with coconut oil or shea butter, your skin will thank you. Another way to treat yourself could be to go out to eat and don't let yourself worry too much about the prices of what you order.

8. Pet an animal

Now, I am not telling you to pet that squirrel or anything like that, but if you have pets go spend time with them. Grab their favorite toy and amuse them as well as yourself. My college has a program where they bring in therapy dogs to help students de-stress around the time of exams. That bit of solitude with be good for your pet as well as help you to relax a bit.

9. Remind yourself of why you're allowing yourself to stress

When I say this I mean to remind yourself why you're doing this. For me I get stressed about school. I think about my end goal and why I started in the first place. For others it may be thinking about the people who are counting on you and supporting you. Try to figure out what inspired you so that you can focus on that.

These are my go to tactics when i'm dealing with stress. There has been multiple times when I felt backed against the wall like I was never going to make it. Or even that there is no purpose. I use one of these tactics and sure enough I feel a bit better. It won't make all your worries disappear but it'll definitely take your mind off of things.

One rule to remember is to stay healthy and do not turn to any bad habits when looking for a stress reliever. This can mean drugs alcohol or even certain people.