Life is pretty stressful right now. Second midterms, deadlines for assignments & semester projects, presentations and quizzes. The semester is going to end in five weeks, which means finals are approaching on its highest speed and goodbyes with newfound & old friends are coming closer. This makes it the perfect time to talk about how to deal with stress. Inspired by the Mental Well-Being awareness week I’m going to share with you my 5 favorite methods to cope with stress.
1. A long walk in the arboretum while listening to my favorite music
The combination of fresh air, a change of perspective and my fave tunes relieve me from stress immediately. So, no matter of the time of the day you can find me walk the same paths over and over again in the arboretum. While breathing mindful, I sort out the mess in my head. Let my thoughts slow down their pace and start listing them in order of their priority.
2. Go 1 hour earlier to bed & get up 1 hour earlier
It’s a small change, usually in the hour from 11-12pm I’m not that productive anymore anyway, but it has a huge effect in the morning. In this hour in the morning I’m so much more focused and get a lot more done. In the morning my headspace is usually also in a better state, I think more positive and rational.
3. Meditate- kind of
I would love to be good at meditation, but it kind of never worked for me. My thoughts have their own personality and just do what they want. When I lay in bed and my mind starts racing around and comes up with the strangest worries and irrational thoughts, I start to think of the place I was the happiest in my life. I think of every little detail at that place, what I ate, with whom I was there, what music was playing and so on. And if my mind goes off thinking about the deadline in January 2020, I try to trace my mind back to this happy place.
4. Reach for helping hands
It feels so good to realize that you can ask for someone’s opinion and get another perspective of a problem. But it’s also important to know that your friends cannot always help you (see tip 5 for that). Sometimes just laughing with someone or talking about something completely unrelated makes my stress go away. It makes me realize that me and my problems are so small in this gigantic world, where so much happens every day which I have no control over.
5. Talk to a professional
On this campus you can find so many free (!!!) resources for Mental Well-Being, so use them! Go to the drop-in counselor and get everything of your chest. Or make an appointment with a counselor on the phone or at the JT Powell building. For more information: https://wellness.uoguelph.ca/counselling/
And of course never forget to sleep enough and have a balanced diet, those two things are crucial for your mental well-being.