Believe it or not, it is almost the end of the semester for college students. As great as this time is for many, it can also be a very stressful time. I know, personally, I have experienced this feeling of stress many times in my life. Whether that is because of homework, grades or simply just not feeling motivated. Thankfully, over the years I have learned how to cope better with the nervousness and stress that may come about. So sit down and relax while I list out five ways that you can stress less starting now.
1. self-care
If you know anything about me, then you know that I absolutely love self-care. There is not one day that goes by where I won’t do my makeup, cleanse my face and wear my signature perfume. I have such a routine with this that I have realized that when I begin to fall out of this routine of taking care of myself, I become much more sad and tense.
Being able to take an everything shower, put on my face oils and pluck my eyebrows truly does relax me and puts me into the right headspace to do what I need to accomplish. To be completely honest, even though it can be pricey, getting my nails done makes me feel like a whole new person as well. It is true when people say that if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you do good. Go spoil yourself! It might take a big weight off of your shoulders!
2. find feel good music
Music. I’m sure this is something that most, if not all people have a connection to in some way. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Something that I love about music is that it really does make me feel my emotions and get out any emotions that I may need to express. I actually went to an Olivia Rodrigo concert a few weeks ago, and it was the most amazing experience ever. Olivia’s music has never failed to amaze me. I feel as though I relate to her songs on a very personal level.
On Olivia’s GUTS tour, she sang “All American Bitch”. Near the end of the song there is a brief moment where there is just pure screaming. At the concert, Olivia told people to scream out any emotions they may be feeling. As crazy as this may seem, screaming really got me to release much stress that needed to be let out. This goes to show that music can most definitely be used as a stress reliever. So go pull out that album that you haven’t listened to in a hot minute and scream your heart out! You only live once!
3. take breaks
I know some people may have a hard time hearing this, but it is okay to take breaks. For myself, whenever I am feeling as though there is too much on my plate, I will stop and pause. If I try to grind out all of my work and studies into one day, I am going to feel so overwhelmed. It took some time, but I have learned that it is a completely acceptable thing to take breaks for myself.
Whether that is taking a nap, going for a walk on the treadmill or watching a quick episode of my favorite show, all of it helps me to draw my focus to myself and where I am at mentally. If you can’t figure out where you are mentally, then there is no way you will be able to give anything else your complete attention.
4. engage in physical activity
About over a year ago I found my love for going to the gym. I try to go to the gym almost everyday, but of course, that sometimes can’t happen. One thing I have realized, though, is that the gym has not only made me feel better physically, but mentally as well. Whenever I feel any sort of pressure from school, work, friends or anything at all, I will automatically go to the gym.
Now I would like to make it clear that going to the gym does not mean you have to do all of these detailed workouts. You can go to the gym for only 15 minutes and that can improve your mental state so much. You don’t always have to go to the gym, though. It is proven that the sun boosts serotonin, meaning that your mood is better when the sun is shining. So why not go out for a nice walk on a sunny day? Give it a try!
5. have a dance party
This may sound like an odd suggestion, but hear me out. It has been scientifically proven that having a dance party can help to destress. When I first read about this, I thought it was wild. However, I started to think and then I came to the conclusion that I actually do this a lot, but I just haven’t realized it. I will constantly blast music in my room, in the shower and just to break out into dance. While others may look at me crazy, I have found that I am genuinely much less stressed in those times. Even though it may be a difficult thing to try out, let yourself free! Blast those songs that you have always wanted to blast and dance your heart out!
Even though this is still a stressful time for most, hopefully by now you have a better understanding of some simple and effective ways that you can reduce that stress. As Fred Rodgers once said, “In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.”