As a college student, I tend to get a little, correction, overly stressed out. As I’m often dealing with exams, homework, studying, organizations, clubs, internships, work and maintaining a social life, the stress level can be intense. But it is also vital that you take care of yourself before anything else. My mental health is important to me, and it is important that I make that my first priority.
I often find myself shutting down for the smallest things. Several things can happen to people when they’re overly stressed. According to apa.org, the website of a leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, “When stress starts interfering with your ability to live a normal life for an extended period, it becomes even more dangerous. The longer the stress lasts, the worse it is for both your mind and body. You might feel fatigued, unable to concentrate or irritable for no good reason, for example. But chronic stress causes wear and tear on your body, too.”
Over the years, I learned how to relax easier. I take necessary mental breaks, go for walks, listen to music and have my little pup by my side. There are certain things I have to realize when trying to calm myself down.
I used to ask myself. “What’s bigger, my frustration or me?” I realized that little assignments shouldn’t stress me out as much as they did. Now, I try to set realistic goals every day, like creating a to-do list. I also try to start with easy assignments, so when they get done, I have more of a drive to complete more.
Here are some other things I do to help myself relax:
Stop and breathe.
I know you’re probably tired of people telling you to breathe. Like, yeah, of course if I wasn’t breathing, I would be dead. When I feel stressed, I stop and breathe until I feel calmer. According to the webmd.com, “Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax.”
Drink tea and listen to classical music.
For some reason, when I drink tea, I often feel more relaxed. Also, listening to music that has a soothing feel helps the stress. According to truestressmanagement.com, “Research on the many health-boosting powers of tea shows that not only does a daily cuppa (or more) boost your immune system, reduce inflammation and even keep your memory sharp, many kinds of tea – and even the comforting rituals of preparing it – can reduce stress, calm anxiety and improve mood.”
Watch funny movies.
I will often watch a movie that is fun to lighten up my mood. This may sound like procrastination, but that time away from academics helps me. According to mayoclinic.org, “A good laugh has great short-term effects.” When you start to laugh, it doesn’t just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body.
Invest in a physical stress reliever.
Personally, I like to play with slime. It helps me calm down because the texture is so appealing to me. Even watching other people play with slime helps.
When trying to deal with stress, don’t stress yourself out trying to deal with it. There are simple things you can do with items in your home that can help you relax. Whether its drinking tea or making slime, find something that helps you and then implement that in your life.
APN 