With the New Year and spring 2015 semester approaching, we could all use a couple tips to keep our stress levels under control. Here are some helpful and realistic tricks to ensure that you have a healthy, happy, and practically stress-free 2015.
1.Accept the Mistakes You’ll Make: Mistakes are inevitable, and unfortunately, 2015 is not going to be the magical year when you don’t make any of them. Realize that this year and this semester are going to be filled with mistakes, big and small, but also realize that mistakes don’t mean failure.
2.Do What You Want: In college we are constantly told what we “should do,” and often times it overshadows what we want to do. Remember that in life, there is really no definitive “should” and “shouldn’t.” At the end of the day, we all make our own decisions. Listen to yourself and realize that the only expectations you have to fulfill are your own.
3.Let Go of the Small Stuff: College forces us to prioritize because in reality there is not enough time in the day to accomplish everything. Try to look at the big picture and understand that some things are just not worth worrying about.
4.Open Up: When faced with something that is causing you stress, let it out. Talk to a friend, your parents, a professor, or write it down. Even the littlest things can be blown out of proportion in your head, so releasing them can help you to see issues for what they really are. So open up, let it out, and move on.
5.Obsess Less Over Social Media: In this day and age it is too easy to base our ego on the amount of followers we have and the number of likes we get. Save the stress of managing your social media image and focus on your real life image.
6.Walk to Class: Sometimes in the cold and snowy Bucknell winters, the luxury of a car makes walking to class laughable. However, when the weather isn’t too unbearable, try to walk to class. A simple walk can help clear your mind, and can be your exercise for the day if you can’t make it to the gym.
7.Use Partying to Your Advantage: Partying is a part of college that can sometimes work against us. Instead of allowing your partying to get in the way of your productivity, capitalize on your time out at night and use it to de-stress. Laugh, dance with your friends, and forget about your worries, but remember not to go so hard that you are unproductive the next day.
8.Be Willing to Jump into the Unknown: Trying something new can be a cause of stress because we don’t know how we are supposed to act. Instead of worrying about how you are going to fit in, embrace your uncertainty and lack of knowledge and trust that you will figure it out in time.
9.Take Time to Get to Know Your Professors: Never forget that your professors are some of your best resources at college. Stop by their office to ask them questions and get to know them outside of the classroom because they just might be able to provide some guidance if you are feeling overwhelmed.
10.Change Your Mindset on the Gym: Too often we use the gym as a means to change our bodies. The added stress of trying to attain the “perfect bikini body” is both unrealistic and unnecessary on top of everything else we take on during the semester. Accept your body and go to the gym to sweat out your worries instead of your imperfections.
11.Get Off Campus: Sometimes we can get caught up in the “Bucknell bubble” and our tiny on-campus lives. Going off campus, either for dinner or for a walk, can help you get out of your head and put your stress in perspective.
12.Cherish Your Friends: At college your friends are your family. Learn to lean on them when you need help. Chances are your friends are going through something similar, and even just complaining about it together can make all the difference on your stress level.
13.Take the Time to Laugh: No matter how stressed out you feel, always make time in the day to laugh. Especially before you go to bed, taking the time to goof around with your friends or watch a funny TV show can improve your mental state immensely (which ensures you get a good night’s sleep).
14.Know That You Don’t Need to Do it All: We often feel pressure to be involved in a million different things on campus, but overextending ourselves only causes more stress. Instead of spreading yourself thin, only pursue the things that you truly care about so that you can do them with all of your heart.
15.Stop Apologizing: Unless you stole your best friend’s boyfriend or hurt someone, 99 percent of the apologies we make on a daily basis are unnecessary. Never, ever, worry about apologizing for who you are or your faults.