Like other colleges, the midterm season at Merrimack can be extremely stressful. Rushing to finish papers and projects, on top of having to study for exams, really takes a toll on your body. We barely get to enjoy our spring break because we get stuck doing all this work, but now that we can take a moment before finals to breathe, it is time to destress. Let’s talk about some tricks you can use to destress to get yourself back on track!
One of my favorite things to do is stay organized. We may be through half of the semester, but we still have a bit of a way to go, and we can’t stop now! To help me stay organized, I really try to utilize my Google calendar; that way, I can visually see what I have going on. This gives me a bit of a mental break because I don’t have to think about all the things I need to get done because it is all on there! At the same time, it keeps me on track and lets me know what I need to do next. Similar to this, sticky notes rock! I keep them on my laptop home screen that way, I can make a little To-Do and Reminder list for myself. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t have time to organize yourself like this, I would try breaking up your tasks into smaller ones. Do you have a six-page paper to write? Try breaking it into smaller chunks either throughout the day or week; that way, it isn’t so overwhelming. I think that this could definitely help you if you are someone that struggles with time management because you’re giving yourself the space and time to accomplish what you need to get done.
While staying motivated and finishing off the semester on a good note is important, we deserve some time to ourselves for all of the hard work we have put in thus far. First, we all need to pat ourselves on the back for getting through the midterms and half of our semester. Next, let’s talk about some of my favorite ways to destress.
I love to take some time for self-care. Usually, I’ll start off with a hair or face mask, and then I take a nice warm “everything” shower. This just helps me slow down my mind and makes me feel happy. Then I put on my comfiest pj’s and put on my comfort show, Degrassi. Now, realistically, it’s hard to do this every day, and I want to destress. On days when I don’t have much time, I try to meditate for five minutes. You can find guided meditations on Spotify and YouTube like I do, or you can put on some relaxing music and meditate that way. Although I don’t have time for this extravagant spa day, even just meditating for a few minutes helps relax my mind.
Of course, not everyone will have the patience to meditate or have a spa day, but there are other things you can do. You might be someone who likes to go for walks or go to the gym to destress, and that is okay! We all have different people or activities that help us to destress, but what’s important is that you take the time to use those resources when you start to feel overwhelmed.