A new semester has just begun and stress levels are already steadily increasing within the student body. Now we may be asking, how can we as individuals or even in groups, calm down and de-stress? Here are a few ways to help college students minimize stress and maximize focus:
GET MOVING: Everyone hears this all of the time, but exercising releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy! Exercising might not sound like the best use of time or something you want to do when stressed, but it can drastically change your mood and give you a distraction or a break from from whatever it is that’s stressing you out. If you don’t know where to exercise or what to do, campus can be a great tool. You can take a walk around campus, find a basketball court, take a fitness course (through the gym or the school), or even just go to the gym which is free with your student I.D.!
TALK ABOUT IT: Having someone to talk to when you are feeling overwhelmed can be so helpful. It is a way to just get everything out of your system and create a plan. It can be as easy as having a good social network that you can reach out to, scheduling a weekly dinner date with a friend, or even calling your mom, sibling, etc. And if none of those sound appealing, you can always reach out to the school counselors or attend a support group. Talking about it can also shift into writing about it. Journaling is a great way to unload your thoughts and re-read where your brain was at. I don’t like the idea of just journaling to journal, but journaling in these high stress times.
MEDITATION: This is a really helpful tool to relieve stress fast. You can do the whole sitting on the floor and humming thing, or you can simplify it down to focusing on your breath and other sensations around you — ask yourself if it’s warm or cold outside, do you smell anything in the air, are there any textures you can feel, etc. Meditation can also mean more of a yoga aspect. This is easier in your own room or space, but can still be done in a more public setting. Easily google some yoga poses and try and remember them so that you can use them to calm down. There is a type of yoga I really enjoy doing where you get in the pose and hold the pose for longer than usual so that your body really stretches and then relaxes in the pose. I have found this to be a really helpful way to de-stress!
MAKE TIME FOR RELAXATION AND FUN: This is probably the most important way to de-stress! While we do have school and class schedules, we also need to find and separate time to relax and enjoy ourselves so that this stress doesn’t build up. Taking time to do things you enjoy to help yourself unwind can be so beneficial to your mental health. This can be anything from eating dessert, watching Netflix, taking a bath, going to the movies. Make time for yourself where you can focus on you and not your worries that are causing this stress.
There are many different ways for students to de-stress and many options on campus to help students! This semester we can lower our stress levels, enjoy our free time, and increase our ability to focus on course work.