Beep, beep, beep! Return to charging station blares through the speaker on the battery-operated laser gun. Draped in a green vest atop black clothes, Erica Robinson runs to her home dock to recharge. There’s just two minutes left in the game and she hasn’t hit enough of the opposing team members to rack up her score. “Power up!” Robinson scoots out of the station and jogs lightly through the maze. She spots her enemy just feet away. Point. Aim. Shoot. Their orange vest lights up – they’ve been tagged.
“It makes me feel like I’m a kid again,” Robinson, a college freshman, said of the laser tag game. It’s no wonder why.
As we get older, the stress gets heavier. With looming deadlines, extensive projects, expensive bills, and relationship troubles, students are quickly buried with feelings of anxiety. And instead of taking the right steps to prevent or alleviate it, we cope with it in the best way we know how. Whether that be drinking to take the edge off or forgetting assignments all together, our methods are often unhealthy and unproductive. A better way to dig ourselves out is to embrace a time when things were easier.
“It is important to channel our inner child so we can be happier and more resilient,” says Registered Nurse Kristen Sayles, who has been working with children for over 22 years.
Engage in these five activities and you’ll be well on your way.
Play a Game – According to Q-Zar manager Jackie Prisco, 30 to 40 percent of their weekend guests are 20 to 30 years old. After 11pm, they take over the laser tag arena. “Sensory stimulating games and activities really engage children and keep them interested,” says Sayles. “They love games with a goal.”
Robinson agrees. She said playing the game was her central focus. It was a distraction from stress and had her giggling the entire time.
Laugh at Something Ridiculous – Speaking of giggling, don’t forget to laugh. Search for a funny YouTube video or watch a ridiculous movie. The act releases endorphins, our natural painkillers, and serotonin, our “feel good” hormone. Combined, the two serve as an easy remedy for an anxious mood.
And children aren’t just laughing because they lead happier lives. “I think it is a huge assumption to say that children are generally happier than adults,” Sayles explains. “I think children are less reserved about expressing their happiness.” In fact, some say children laugh up to ten times more than adults.
Sayles says you can reap the benefits even further by doing so in a group. When we laugh in a group, we feel more connected to them. Thus, we’re able to build trusting relationships and positive self-esteem. Laughing also eases our fears and infects those around us.
Hang Out With Your Parents – Being away from home may make this difficult but options like Skype and iChat can easily put you in contact with them. As a child, we often associate feeling better with our parents. For example, when we got a scratch, our parents would “kiss it better” and we’d be on our way. “Generally speaking a healthy, loved and safe child will have less stress because they are protected from things that cause stress,” says Sayles. While some aspects of stress are unavoidable, turning to your parents to talk about it can help lighten the load. They also provide the same sense of security as they did when we were children
Do One Thing For Yourself at least Once a Week – As a child, this may have been going on a play date after school or staying up until 10pm building a fort. While those are still great things we can do, it doesn’t even have to be that complex. Robinson, for example, watches Law and Order. Tuning in once a week brings her back to life. “They have a lot bigger problems than I do,” she says. “It makes me realize how small mine are.”
Sayles thinks these forms of distraction are beneficial, “Children respond well to distraction techniques when stressed,” she says. It’s temporary relief from the overload of chaos in our mind and recharges you for later.
Learn Something – On top of the work that’s already drowning us, it’s ridiculous to think that we should add something else on top of that. However, when it’s something we want to know more about, the game changes. “Children love stories,” Sayles says. Read about a part of the world you want to go to, listen to the ridiculous tales of your best friend’s weekend, and ask questions. This sort of learning unleashes the goals that we tuck away because we just don’t have the time or effort. “It reminds us of what’s important,” Robinson says.
It’s easy to give up fun in place of responsibilities because we’re taught, as children, that it’s important to tackle those first. While that may be true, it’s important to establish a balance and keep ourselves in mind while crossing the bullets off of our high-numbered to-do lists.
But why was this so simple to do then and not so much now? “Ignorance is bliss – that explains it,” Robinson said. “That and being naïve.”
Perhaps we shouldn’t only act like children to alleviate our stress, but think like them, too.