Five Ways to Reduce Stress
Stress definitely is well known to Pepperdine students. In fact, stress is one of the major causes of distraction and illness for students. We are all really smart individuals, and we like getting those good grades; however, sometimes we stress so much that we forget the information we studied. Here are some simply ways of reducing your stress.
ART
I am a huge advocate for art. Art has actually been proven to help reduce stress. When you are focused on painting or even drawing, you are distracted from all your worries and simply enjoying your time. Art is used as a form of therapy, and has allowed students to relax. Coloring also helps limit the amount of anxiety. You can easily buy a coloring book or even print a print to color. The thing about art is, that it’s really simple and easy. It’s also very enjoyable. If you don’t want to paint or draw, go find a place that has art displayed. You don’t have to look too far either! Pepperdine has an on campus art museum which is completely accessible to you. Fit some time in your day to just have a peak. Want to find even more art to look at, well check out the library. If you haven’t noticed already, there’s lots of art on the wall and some created by our fellow schoolmates. Whenever you are feeling stressed, go look for those places I’ve mentioned. You might discover that looking at a painting can sooth your mind.
COOKING
Who doesn’t enjoy eating good food? Cooking is therapeutic and it’s fun. It allows you to be creative and enjoy the time you spend making food. Gather some friends -it’s more fun when you are cooking with people or for others. Places to check out recipes can be Pinterest, Facebook, and even Instagram. These social medias have so many sources to gain even more knowledge about foods you probably haven’t tried before. Definitely take the risk and experiment with new foods to eat.
RUNNING
I’ve heard that running helps with stress, but I guess it depends on the person. I personally dislike running, but if it helps definitely try it out. If you don’t want to run on the track, go run around the campus. Make running into a game. Have some friends join you as you play tag or some other form of running game.
TALKING
Talking is perhaps the simplest and easiest way to reduce stress. Communicating with others not only helps relief stress and anxiety, but it also allows you to relate to the other person and get some advice. I have spent many hours talking with people about situations I am stressing over. Communicating is definitely one of the most effective ways to decrease stress.
MUSIC
Get your headphones on. Listening to music is soothing. It doesn’t matter if you are listening to classical or even pop. Just hearing what you enjoy can give you the opportunity to forget your worries. With music, you can sing and dance and even play an instrument. The rhythm of the beat brings joy and that’s something that definitely decreases stress.