It’s Time to De-Stress

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mizzou chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

It’s that time of year —at least for me—where stress comes more easily. When seasons change and the workload seems to pile up, our feelings can overwhelm and fill the air around you.

Bringing ourselves down from this high anxiety mindset is more difficult than it seems, but there are so many ways to help regulate yourself and take a break from the noise. Here are some ways that I found to be beneficial while trying to de-stress, and hopefully they can help you too!

Expressing gratitude

Being preoccupied with the amount of stress and anxiety in your daily life can make it difficult to ground yourself. This can often lead to feelings of being overworked, drained or less lively than usual.

In times like these (which can be frequent), I like to remind myself of the positive matters in my life and how thankful I am for them. Recently, I have been reminding myself of my friends and family back home and how eternally grateful I am for them and their efforts to be an amazing support system. During rough days when I don’t feel like myself, calling them and telling them I love them will always make me feel better!

It makes it easier to try to look around you, figuratively or literally, and see all of the things that help build you up to be the person you are. I found that with my family and my inner circle, but it can range from so many things, like your pets or even the cup of coffee you had this morning. Writing it down in a notebook or sticky note can help calm you down when you look at it, since sometimes we just need little reminders to keep us going!

Take breaks

If you’re anything like me, sometimes I refuse to give myself a break, especially when I find my groove. Our brain cannot keep running on and on all day, so allow yourself time to get fresh air, doom-scroll if you need to and take a breath. Anxiety and stress feed on a tired mind and body; therefore, allowing yourself that time to be with yourself and quiet the noise can be beneficial to you!

Since I’ve been trying to stop doom-scrolling on my breaks, one big thing I’ve done is call a friend to catch up. It’s nice to disassociate from constant work and do something that your mind finds stimulating. Even when I find myself dozing off in a lecture, I love to play Wordle to help get my brain moving again while also taking a break from school for a second!

Enjoy your hobbies

Keeping yourself busy by doing the things you love is of the utmost importance! For me, I’ve been really into putting music on and playing on my Nintendo Switch — I love Mario Kart — so that’s been a great way to de-stress from school, work and any personal drama. Many of my friends crochet, paint or do puzzles in their free time to help them get through the week. Maybe try something new or pick up a new activity you may enjoy!

I’ll admit, finding hobbies can be a really hard and sometimes complicated thing to do, but even simple matters like spending time with loved ones can be so healing! There is nothing I love more than going to a restaurant with my dad or playing board games with my best friends. So, embrace the things that you feel can help get your mind off things.

Journaling

It does not have to be consistent every day, but writing down your thoughts can have a positive impact on your outlook on life! What has worked for me is debriefing through writing or a voice memo at the end of every week so I can get out what I am really feeling. Doing a deep dive into the experiences that have made you happy, anxious or distressed allows you to know what to do when those feelings arise again.

Find a groove that works for you with journaling, because it really does differ for everyone. As I said, my schedule might be different from yours, and that’s okay! At the end of the day, this is the life you are living for yourself, and the best thing to help control the stress of everyday life is being vulnerable and acknowledging your feelings.

Final Thoughts

Stress means different things for different people – this is all in hopes that one item on this list may help you with the stresses that come day-to-day! De-stressing is not only important for your mind, but for your physical health as well. Remind yourself daily to always be kind to yourself!