All too often we find ourselves way too busy to sit down and relax. Most college students use their free time to take a nap because they can’t get through the day any other way.
The truth is that there are so many better things to do than taking a nap to keep your stress levels down. No, I don’t mean watching Netflix although I find myself doing that all the time.
What I mean is, if the weather is good then go outside with your friends and get some Instagram-worthy pictures. This sounds cheesy but it is one of the easiest ways to have fun with your friends for a short period of time and feel like you are less stressed.
Another thing that you can do is get an app on your phone that lets you color pictures. This is a little more time consuming but it can be really relaxing when you just sit down for a little while and create something with color. I love my coloring app because I don’t need an actual book to be able to do something that I love. I know this idea sounds pretty stupid but it can be really easy to just sit down and color.
Another thing that you can do is if it is warmer outside, you can ask your friends if they want to go to the river with you (if you have one near your campus). At Susquehanna the river is probably about a mile walk and once you get down there it is so relaxing to look at the water. I can’t wait for spring to come because I want to spend more time running to the river.
Now is the time to get in shape so make sure you are working out. Trust me, you don’t have to go to the actual gym to work out. There are apps on your phone you can download so you can just work out in your room. I have found that it is easy to work out in my room because I don’t always have a ton of time with all of the homework I need to get done so I give myself 20-30 minutes to devote to it. If you don’t have a ton of time but want to feel accomplished with working out, I suggest a light workout or do some yoga because stretching is just as important as working out. With working out, make sure you drink tons of water and eat healthily.
If you have an iPhone, get an app called GamePigeon and start playing games with your friends via text. It can a simple five-minute game or it can take an hour. It doesn’t matter as long as you give yourself something to do when you need a break from all of the work you have to do. I play games with my friends all of the time. Two of our favorite games are pool and 20 questions. Sometimes we pick easy questions and other times we pick things that someone might not guess. Playing games in text is something I do when I might not want to do my homework. My friends and I will set a limit on how many games we play before we get down to business.
College can be stressful at times and it can be fun at times. The best suggestion I can give on lowering your stress level is to spend as much time as you can with friends because they are your support when you need to talk or just need a shoulder to cry on. I know that my friends have been there for me when I was in my all-time lows and my all-time highs. It is really important to find friends that are good for you because if you end up with the wrong people it is hard to find the right people. Over time you will figure out who your real friends are and they are going to be the people that you will still talk to after college. To sum it up, spend time with your friends because you can and you want to. Sometimes doing homework with someone else in the room will keep you more focused on what you need to do.