The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Susqu chapter.
As the spring semester of 2025 begins, a world of troubles and tribulations are bound to accompany the new year. Personally, the start of the second semester always threatens to break my mental fortitude, so I’ve come up with several methods that I use to de-stress and calm down. Feel free to try these out if you’re interested, if not, no worries! I’ve found success with these methods but if they are not for you, not a problem!
- Gratitude Journal: Last semester, a group of SU students were tabling near the front of Degenstein and I got the opportunity to make a gratitude journal. It’s a small, paper-bound notebook that I decorated with a couple stickers and I use it to write down when I’m grateful for something. I struggle a lot with negative feelings and being overwhelmed, plus constantly complaining that things aren’t going right, so this has been a way to keep me in check and remind myself that I have so much to be grateful for. What I wrote about yesterday was that I was grateful that my class ended early. Today I wrote that I got to hang out with my friends. It’s a very simple but effective way to change your outlook on life and remind yourself that good things, however small, happen all the time. It really helps me put a positive spin on my day, especially when things seem hard. Think positively!
- Prayer: As a Catholic, I find it very helpful to pray to relieve a lot of the stress that I feel. I know that people have very different spiritual and religious beliefs than I do, but what works for me is being able to get rid of my worries by praying. I find it comforting to know that God is listening to my difficulties and taking a little bit of the burden off my shoulders. I find that praying is just as effective as talking to a friend or family member to get my feelings out. I’ve found that since I’ve started to grow in my faith and pray more often, I feel more at ease with life and can go through my days with less anxiety and stress than I used to.
- Go to the gym: It is true that exercise can help you work off your feelings. Taking a walk on the treadmill and watching a show or listening to music is a great way to tire yourself out. It is known that exercise can tucker a person out pretty quickly, so if you’re feeling like you need to just work off a lot of energy, head to the gym! Plus, lifting and getting toned makes you feel great about yourself. Personally, it has been a struggle to work out lately, because it is so cold and the gym is so far away. Find time during your day to dedicate an hour (or even just 45 minutes) to working out. Whether it’s in your room doing a (in my case- beginner) pilates lesson or at the gym using the stair climber, get yourself active. You’ll feel better mentally and you’ll get that good tired feeling. Your head will hit the pillow in no time and you won’t have time to think about your stressors.
- Talk to someone: I used to be so unwilling to talk to a therapist or even a close friend or family member about what was going on that was making me feel anxious or upset. There is never any shame in admitting that you need help. Therapists are there to help you work through your feelings and get to the bottom of why you feel that way. People go to therapy all the time and it’s no big deal. A therapist is just someone to listen to your problems and help the best they can while not judging you the way your sister or dad might. While I have not been to therapy in ten years, I might start to take advantage of the campus counselor to try and help me work through my feelings when things get overwhelming. Establishing a plan to combat classes and your social life will be a lifesaver in the long run!
- Having Down Time: I cannot stress enough how imperative it is that you take time to yourself at least some point in the day. For me, I have night classes, so my down time tends to be between the hours of 3-5. That is the time that I get dinner, hang out with friends or my significant other, read a book, or watch a show. A lot of the time it can feel like you have so much work bearing down on you and you can’t possibly slow down or take a break, but you can. It is actually more beneficial to take breaks so that your brain can recharge and be ready to do more work later on, if necessary. Take an hour or two to lay in your bed, take a nap, call a family member, read a book, watch a movie or show, and just recharge so that you can be ready to take on the rest of the day. It isn’t normal to go hours upon hours studying or doing schoolwork. Your body and your mental health can’t handle it, so take a break each day and reassess what you have to do after you’ve had some food and taken a nap.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or take breaks from school each day. Every person needs relaxing time to be able to perform at optimum level. Have a great semester and keep pushing!