Anyone up for a mini vacation?

Getting stressed out is a definite in college with finals, exams and papers to turn in, who wouldn’t be? However, there is one thing you can do to help alleviate your worries–go running.  

Usually, when we hear the phrase, “running away from your problems,” we don’t think of it in a literal way, but this is where we are wrong. Getting away from your problems for a while and then coming back to them with a more collected mind can surprisingly be very influential in smart decision-making.

Exercising, running specifically, is great because it gives you a way to seclude yourself from the hustle and bustle of daily life. But where can you do that on a busy campus like UNCW?

My favorite place to go is a trail that weaves across the parking lot between the Landing and the Crossing. You can see it if you look towards the back left of Crossing building four while facing the parking lot. The trail winds through a sandy path in the woods and then goes on to a paved path. It then opens up and continues onto Rose Avenue ending in the parking lot for the University Apartments.

This is my favorite trail because it is silent and abandoned. It’s a place where I can find peace.  

This trail makes it easier to focus on your breathing, the smell of nature, the sounds of nature and everything else that makes relaxation come easier.

Since there are not many people on this trail, you do not have to feel as if you need to be Usain Bolt and never stop for a breather. I actually stop very often to admire the quiet peacefulness of the forest. This trail evokes a sense of Nirvana and we all know how valued any amount of tranquility is when life seems so demanding.

In a frantic community full of due dates, endless studying and little sleep, it is important to get away and take a vacation (even if it only lasts an hour and is right on campus.) Mental breakdowns are far too common in the college environment when something as simple as going for a run can help. Running increases the amount of endorphins your brain releases which helps improve the immune system, create a better night’s sleep and most importantly, release stress!

• anxiety
• campus cutie
• exercise
• running
• stress
• vacation