With many schools nearing the end of the term, students may become overwhelmed with extra assignments and preparing for finals. It’s important to remember that taking care of yourself is just as important as school obligations (if not more important). Here are six stress-free ways you can treat yourself if you’re starting to stress.
- Have a Spa Day
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Even if you’re too overwhelmed to go to a salon, you can make a DIY at-home spa day! Run to the store and pick up your favorite nail polish, moisturizer, and face masks. Many people like to get their face masks from bigger businesses like Lush or Bath & Body Works, but even Kroger has high-quality face masks for good prices. If you want to really get fancy with it, you can dedicate the night to catching up on your beauty housekeeping items like plucking your eyebrows and/or shaving/waxing your legs. My spa days typically include Netflix, cats, and lots of popcorn. Feel free to dedicate your spa night to anything that makes you relax and feel good about yourself.
- Pursue Your Hobbies
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Pursuing hobbies that are outside of school is so important when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you’re constantly devoting your time and energy to school and school-related activities, you can often feel drained and unmotivated. Try rediscovering a hobby you enjoyed as a kid, like painting or going outside! Or you can search for a new hobby that you can pursue with your family and friends. Even taking a couple of hours outside of your day to take an art class or pottery class can do wonders for your mood and creativity. It’s hard to be passionate about your future when you’re constantly staring at textbooks all day. It’s important to explore what the world has to offer outside of school; you could even find a new passion for life.
- Workout
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Many people are often quick to view working out with the wrong lens. Working out obviously has its benefits for your physical health, but it also has many benefits for your mental health. When I started devoting 30 minutes a day to going for a walk outside, I found my creativity and motivation were significantly increased. I also found it easier to be passionate about my classes and the curriculum being taught because I wasn’t devoting the whole day to studying and reading course materials. Working out doesn’t have to mean doing a hardcore workout that makes you sore for the next three days. It can also mean just taking a walk down the neighborhood or walking on a local trail.
- Get Involved
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This next point may seem like it could pile more onto your plate and even increase your stress, but I assure you there’s a good reason behind it. Freshman year, I wasn’t involved with a single organization on campus. I devoted most of my time to exploring the Ohio University campus and doing well in my classes. However, it proved to be hard to constantly devote my time and energy to school when a lot of the time, my progress wasn’t tangible. Since a sophomore year, I’ve gotten involved with three organizations on campus, and I couldn’t be happier. I constantly see my growth through the activities and projects I’m a part of, and it’s rewarding. I feel like a lot of the time (especially with online school), you don’t see your hard work pay off until the end of the semester, which is still rewarding but often doesn’t help when you’re lacking motivation. The organizations I’m a part of have allowed me to grow and flourish as a person. They have allowed me to look forward to the weeks to come and look forward to the future conversations and projects I’ll be a part of. Getting involved is the perfect way to ease your life’s stress and enhance your growth process as a student and person.
- Reach Out
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The term “reach out” is very broad and can refer to you reaching out to anyone, your professors, fellow classmates, or even past students who have taken the courses you’re in. Regardless use the information you have to your advantage. Don’t be afraid to reach out to the other students in your class and ask to get together remotely (or in-person) for a study session. Even reaching out to your professors and allowing them to put a name to a face and personality could help you in the future. Often when the school year is coming to an end, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with obligations and assignments. However, it’s important to keep in mind all the people around you who are there for you to use as a resource. Make things easier for yourself by reaching out and building a connection with your professors and fellow students. You might thank yourself later.
- Explore Your Town
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I briefly discussed the topic of how constantly doing schoolwork can be both mentally and physically draining. Exploring your town can give you an excuse to get out of the house and discover local shops and businesses. Even though the coronavirus is still affecting the country, that doesn’t mean you can’t go shopping or visit a local museum. There are many covid-safe activities you and your friends can do that can allow a change of scenery. Whenever I venture into a neighboring town, I always find local shops that intrigue and excite me. Society is still progressing and changing. Adventuring outside can make you more aware and even more educated on the important things around you. Exploring your town and its’ neighboring towns can change your perspective of your situation and anxiety. When you get the chance to see your town and witness struggles other people endure, it can make you a lot more grateful for your problems and situation.