Stress is a part of my daily life. Once, during a free chiropractic session, the chiropractor asked me if I was regularly stressed out since my stress hormones were “unlike anything I (the chiropractor) have ever seen in a girl your age.” So I think it’s safe to say I’m no stranger to feeling stressed, but honestly who is? On a day to day basis, I usually have something I am moderately to mildly stressed out about. My stress source could be my workload, activities or extracurriculars, planning ahead, or even a social event.
Some of us are more acquainted with feelings of stress than others, but if you’re anything like me, sometimes it feels like we give stress a little bit too much power over our lives. I can admit that I lead a busy and involved lifestyle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Stress, just like everything else in life, is something to balance and prioritize. Prioritizing stress management improves your quality of life drastically, take it from me. Here are my favorite ways to destress and put myself first.
- Baking
This is a pretty common one for a lot of people, but as a self-identified stress baker, I can confirm that baking is an amazing and great way to blow off steam when you’re stressed out. Baking gives you something else to focus on that’s not whatever is draining your mental battery. Whether you’re good at baking or not, getting in the kitchen and creating anything from start to finish is just as satisfying as it is fun. As a bonus, baking always yields a delicious end product that you can use to sugarcoat your worries away or share with others. So next time you’re feeling frantic turn that stress into something sweet!Your friends will thank you later.
2. Bouldering
I’m not a climber, at all, but recently my roommate took me rock climbing with her on the day of my chemistry midterm, in which I was torturing myself with endless studying. The funny thing is, by the time we were tired and done climbing, I felt like a whole new person and almost forgot I had a chemistry exam to take later that day. Physical activity is the number one stress buster, but where rock climbing and bouldering differ, is that rock climbing is a form of physical activity that engages your brain. When climbing, you have to think about the ways to move your arms and legs you have to take to complete a route and reach the end. Bouldering is so mentally demanding that it makes it hard to think of anything besides how you’re going to approach a certain route.
3. Audiobooks and podcasts
Remember when you would have story time as a little kid, and how calming it was after a long day of learning grammar and long division? Audiobooks and podcasts are a new form of media I have recently gotten into. Full disclosure, it may be one of my all-time favorite ways to end my days–it feels just like being read to as a kid. I’m a huge reader, don’t get me wrong. Nine times out of ten I will almost always opt for the written version of anything, but sometimes at the end of the day my brain is just so exhausted while trying to simultaneously run at 100 mph that I just need to lay lifelessly in my bed. Coincidentally, the time of day when I am most stressed out is at night when I am trying to fall asleep, since my brain has time to reflect on everything and anything. Some of my favorite recent podcasts I’ve been really into lately include Emma Chamberlain’s comforting “Anything Goes” or Kurtis Conner’s laugh out loud “Very Really Good”. It doesn’t take much to listen to something that’ll distract your mind and boost your morale. A couple chapters of an audiobook or an episode of a podcast, while cleaning, getting ready in the morning or even before trying to fall asleep at night on those especially exhausting days really does make a difference.
4. Walking
If there’s anything I swear by, it’s a nice long walk. I am almost 100% convinced that a long walk can cure any emotional turmoil. Nothing is more grounding than putting on some headphones, finding a fitting playlist, then just turning off your brain and letting your legs take you on an adventure. Walking allows time for you to reflect on your day and whatever else is spinning through your brain. I think my favorite part of walking as a stress reliever is all the neighborhood dogs on walks I get to greet along the way, but honestly just the act of getting outside, moving, and letting the fresh air cleanse my senses does it for me almost every time. When in doubt? Walk it out.
5. Arts and crafts
The sound of it may seem quite juvenile, but nothing recalibrates my brain more than engaging in a mindless craft. Pick up a canvas and some cheap paints and put on a Bob Ross painting tutorial, or upcycle something into something new with some Pinterest inspo. Finding a creative outlet in a time of stress just seriously changes my mindset. One night during finals week my roommate printed out two coloring sheets, and amidst my studying craze decorating a cute coloring sheet actually let me return to my studying in a more productive manner. So next time try grabbing those crayons and colored pencils and get artsy!
The biggest takeaway from learning to manage your stress is learning to take time for yourself. No matter how busy, frantic, and hectic your life becomes, your well-being should always take priority. While I purposely keep myself in an over-involved rigorous fast paced life, I have learned to find time to slow everything down and recenter myself, finding that life balance. So next time you’re on the verge of tears over that paper or exam, take a breath and go for a walk or bake a batch of cookies and refocus that stress-obsessed mind.