A few weeks ago, one of my friends asked me, “Hey, what’s your biggest emotion?”
I thought about saying something like happy, optimistic, or caring – but instead, I said, “Anxious.”
I was thinking about finals.
With this dreaded week coming up, you could cut through the amount of stress condensed on campus. As thousands of us collegiates focus on tests, papers, and final projects, it’s important to take care of our mental health, too. Luckily, there are a lot of options offered by Penn State and that you can do on your own to stay sane as finals arrive.
1. Get Active
Taking a break from that 15-page paper and moving around a little can give your mind a much-needed pause and your body a jump-start. Penn State’s gyms offer fitness and wellness classes including Tae Kwon Do, a full body workout, cycling, Pilates, and almost anything else you can think of throughout the week. The schedule of classes for each day can be found here.
2. Relaxation Night
Something as simple as taking an hour or two away from studying to spend time with friends or doing something chill can help reduce your stress. Put on some facemasks, play some music, and do your nails for an easy escape from studying that you don’t even have to leave your dorm or apartment for.
3. CAPS Chats
Penn State’s physiological services offer free, no appointment needed consultations with counselors. If you’re feeling like you might need to talk to someone, this is a quick way to talk to a professional about topics from stress and anxiety to relationship issues. Just check out their website to see drop-in times and find places across campus.
4. Meditation
When everything seems to be getting a little too overwhelming, it’s sometimes good to force yourself to take a few minutes to center yourself. Even if you’ve never tried meditation before, there are a lot of easy ways to try it out. Go to a calm space and turn on a guided video on YouTube, or download one of the many meditation apps out there for a quick moment of personal time before you get back to work.
5. Life Hacks with CAPS
Held in the Student Health Center, CAPS offers group workshops for students to have an open, welcoming space to talk about issues other students share. Helping students with workshops like “Mindfulness: A Mental Break” and “Managing the Stress of Change,” this is an easy way to spend some time focusing on your mental health while being guided by a professional. The next several workshops can be found here.
Remember to take care of yourself, and good luck with finals!
GIFs via Giphy