College is like one giant boiling pot of stress and busyness. From day one you’re told you need to study hard, be in a variety of clubs, and maintain a rocking social life. Let me tell you, if you try to do all of these things at the same time, you’ll get burnt out fast.
Sometimes, however, life gets busy by no fault of our own. In these situations, it’s all about how to handle stress well.
Here are five simple tips everyone can do to help ease the internal tension we all feel:
- Call Home, Call a Friend, Call Someone
Sometimes we all just need to hear our mom’s voice. Maybe for you it’s your dad, best-friend, significant other, or grandma—but, talking with someone removed from your day to day schedule can do wonders to improve your emotional tension. This doesn’t have to be a long chat, but it will give your brain a chance to slow down and focus on something new for a change. Another bonus, if you call your mom, they typically have awesome advice and can help you put your stress into perspective.
- Read a book, article, or blog-post
Taking time to let your brain focus on something besides school work or your to-do list will help you feel less anxious and stressed out. You don’t have to spend forever reading, rather take 15 minutes or so to let your brain escape and read something interesting to you. It will definitely help put the day in perspective.
- Exercise
It’s been proven over and over that exercise releases endorphins, which help you to control your stress. If you don’t believe me, check out this article from the Mayo Clinic. Even if you’re out of shape or pressed for time, any sort of motion can benefit you and help manage your feelings of anxiety. Walk outside, sign up for an exercise class, or even clean up a bit around the house to get yourself moving.
- Meditate
I will be the first person to tell you this isn’t something I regularly practice. I’m really not great at sitting still, but I do know that the few times I’ve done it, it was really helpful. Some people focus on breathing, other mediate on a passage of scripture, and others just sit in silence. If you’re like me and don’t know where to start, don’t worry there’s an app for that! Check out Simple Habit- Meditation or Calm: Meditation.
- Journal
Journaling lets you take time to process what you are thinking and feeling by forcing you to put words on paper. This doesn’t have to be an hour long session or an every day thing, but taking five minutes to process your day may help you realize positive experiences in the midst of your crazy schedule. One idea to get you started could be writing down the things that you’re most thankful for from your day.
So as the semester ramps up, please take time to take care of yourself. The world isn’t going to catch fire if you pause to do a little stress check. College is hard and crazy, but it doesn’t last forever. Making memories with friends is going have a bigger impact on your life than the B you may receive in a class.