With everything on the minds of college students on a daily basis, there’s hardly any time to catch our breath. The days melt into one another and before you realize, another week has flown by and you feel like reality has knocked the wind right out of you. Don’t get overwhelmed!
Try these five ways to relieve yourself of some stress every week:
1. Do a mini spring-cleaning. Although cleaning you room is not the most exciting thing for most of us, the amount of unnecessary clutter has a direct effect on the amount of stress we feel. Go through your closet and take out anything that you don’t wear anymore. There are plenty of consignment shops around town that would be willing to give you cash for your items, and Goodwill and the Salvation Army are always happy to accept whatever you have. The sense of accomplishment you feel afterwards will leave you happy and relieved.
2. Re-organize your backpack. Go through all of your school stuff and re-organize it. Since the semester is flying by and everyone tends to lose a bit of focus as midterms near, now is a good time to keep yourself on track by being super organized. It really is the key to being successful in all of your classes and any area of life. You worry less when you aren’t scrambling to find homework assignments.
3. Find your inner gym rat. Regular exercise is vital when sleeping less and eating more becomes a habit during college. Pencil in a time at least three times a week where you exercise – and make it something you enjoy. This could be morning yoga, an afternoon swim or a nice jog around campus. But don’t rule out the gym if you love indoor activity!
4. Take more baths. This is prime ‘you’ time. Find an hour or two and do something you love doing without thinking of anything else. This really helps to reinforce taking care of your mind and body first and foremost. We tend to get caught up in the ongoing fast pace of the day without thinking about ourselves, so set up candles by the tub and relax. This is your lazy time.
5. Keep a planner. And if you can’t remember to write things down in your planner, make yourself an eye-catching calendar and find somewhere that you’ll notice it every day to put it. Procrastination is something all college students know by heart but it causes stress levels to soar. Assignments, work dates, events, friends’ birthdays will be a lot easier to keep track of without the stress of forgetting them.