Heading back to school can be stressful- whether it be the overwhelming amount of work leering at you over the horizon or tedious internship applications. Let’s make it a little less stressful! Whether you’re an anxious freshman or a jaded senior, you should always take advantage of these valuable resources that are available to you online. Here is a list of five free online resources and applications that you can utilize throughout the school year:
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The #Self-Care app is a free app full of stress-free mini-games that have no particular goal besides bringing you a step closer to feeling better, wherever your emotional or mental state is. The mini-games include filling in incomplete phrases by dragging letters into them, changing the color of a circle, and a matching laundry game. There’s also a tarot card deck you can select a card from on a daily basis, a few different breathing exercises, and even a cat that you can pet! A lot of aspects of the #Self-Care app are customizable too. You can change the bedding (both the duvet and the sheets), the skin tone of the character, different aspects of certain mini-games and breathing exercises, and yes, even the cat.
I really enjoy this app because it actually relaxes me. The music is whimsical and dreamy without making me sleepy. There are also quotes that are sprinkled throughout the game that are really comforting and affirming, for example: “We won’t face our notifications and we don’t have to. They can wait.” It’s the type of app that will be there for you when you need it the most.
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Eve is a free app that makes tracking your period, as well as your physical and mental health, something to look forward to each day. Besides the essential tasks of tracking your period and monitoring your fertile window (along with fertility percentages!), Eve gives you health insights after you log your daily activities, symptoms, and emotions, indicating where you stand in comparison to your “cycle buddies” on the app. The term “Cycle buddies” refers to other females using the app who are on the same menstrual cycle as you are. Eve takes the information you and thousands of other users log in to create comparative insights, which show you how similar or different your symptoms are in comparison to your cycle buddies. It also has fun quizzes (for example- “What’s your sex position IQ?”) and body and sex-positive resources that update every day. And let’s not forget that Eve also has an active female-positive community that will be there to support you in every way possible.
Eve is one of the only period tracker apps that has actually changed me for the better. While I’m still trying to get into the habit of logging my activity and symptoms every day, I have learned so much about my body, sex, and national statistics because of the daily resources they have available for their users. The interface is aesthetically pleasing and you can learn in a way that is relatable to you. It’s hard to be anxious about the unknown when Eve gives you just about everything you need to know when it comes to sex and your body.
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The Momentum add-on (available for both Google Chrome and Firefox users) is a personalized dashboard that emphasizes productivity without sacrificing aesthetics. Every time you open up your browser, you’ll have access to your to do list, the weather, the time, a list of important links, a search engine, and a daily main focus. There’s even a daily inspirational quote! For a free add-on, it really does bring everything together.
Ever since I’ve downloaded Momentum, I’ve had friends and strangers ask me what add-on this was because they were so impressed by how both clean and cool it looked. I personally like Momentum because it brings everything together without overwhelming me. Every day when I open a new tab in my browser, the beautiful landscapes that serve as add-on backgrounds remind me of the big picture. It reminds me that each assignment I finish brings me one step closer to what life has in store for me.
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8Tracks is home to hundreds of playlists curated by people who love music (and know the type of music you’d like to listen to during ~particular moods~). Finding a playlist that suits your fancy is easy- you simply just search by artist, genre, activity, or mood that you’re really resonating with. You can play an 8tracks playlist on your browser while you’re working on an assignment or play it on your phone when trying to find a good mood-setter. You don’t have to just listen to playlists though- you can also make them with your own music finds! Share them with the world or share it with just your friends.
Because of 8Tracks, I’ve found a lot of awesome artists and really great bops to jam out to. You’ll never feel like your choices are limited on 8Tracks, as there are thousands of playlists that catch certain nuances of particular feelings. The only downside to 8Tracks is that the advertisements really take you out of it. Regardless, I prefer the vibe of the playlists on 8Tracks over the ones on Spotify, which I feel are a little more on the mediocre side of things.
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Noisli is a free resource that allows you to utilize white noise in order to concentrate or relax from the comfort of your browser. You can mix combinations of white noise, set a timer for how long you want your favorite combinations to play, and save your favorite combinations. The Google Chrome extension allows you to easily access the volume, your combos, and the start or stop buttons.
I’ve personally enjoyed using Noisli because of the white-noise mixing options. I love the sound of rain, so I mix its sound with a bunch of other white noise possibilities to create really awesome combos- like thunder and leaves or fire and the night. In the Noisli browser, there’s also a minimalistic text editor where you can jot down your ideas with no distractions.
At the end of the day, these are only a few resources which can help you manage your stress. Everyone has a different method when it comes to decreasing their back to school anxiety. Some people like bullet journaling or coloring books while others like to sit back and relax with friends or throw themselves into an organizing frenzy. People, like me for example, feel less anxious when I know when to expect my period and have an organized and productive workspace. At the end of the day, these are only a few ideas for helping you manage your stress, and hopefully, they will. The internet is full of amazing resources for college students to use such as these ones.