I entered the University of Utah as a freshman just last fall from San Francisco, California. I didn’t know a single person at this school, I had been to Salt Lake City only twice before, and I found myself consistently asking myself “Why am I here?” On top of my slight identity crisis as a California girl in the mountains, I began to stress about schoolwork as well. Of course, this was inevitable as everyone deals with stress from schoolwork, but I realized that I was really beginning to struggle. I decided somewhere along the way that I needed to revert back to the tried and true method of dealing with stress: distractions. So, I guess this article is more about ways that I distracted myself from the stressors of college life rather than the way I cope with it. But as I have found, my distractions became hobbies which turned into pockets of stress-free times during my stressful days.
Knitting
I came into college with absolutely zero hobbies, and I spent my free time binging shows on Netflix. I quickly realized that this was going to get tiring and I decided that I should find a hobby that would be more beneficial. One of my new friends was a knitting pro, and she taught me how to knit. It became something new for me to do and I look forward to my knitting time every week! I think it is definitely important to find a relaxing hobby in order to de-stress from your daily workload and responsibilities.
Reading
Aside from finding a hobby, I also like to read to de-stress. I know, I know — you already have to read so much for class, why would you want to read for fun in your spare time? Hear me out: fun books. Unless you find reading 1,000 page classic literature fun and relaxing, I suggest reading books with less to them. I always love a good romance novel, although I do feel embarrassed about how much I enjoyed the After series. Pick books that don’t stress you out, and if reading starts to feel like a chore, pick another book! This is your time to relax, don’t make it into an assignment.
Yoga
Apart from having hobbies that strengthen the mind, taking care of your physical health can be just as stress relieving. I chose to do this by taking a yoga class whenever I have the time or feel like I really need it. I have never walked out of yoga class feeling more stressed! But if yoga isn’t for you, there are many different ways to de-stress with exercise. You just have to find the one that works best for you!
Planning
If you’re anything like me, when you have too much unscheduled free time in your day, you start to go crazy. That’s why, in an effort to make my days more organized, I try to plan out when I am going to do certain things. This also helps me organize when I will do my assignments so that I don’t forget about them or push them to the last second. Additionally, I like to plan fun things for the future. Whether that’s trips that will never happen or my spring break, I like to open up Expedia and have fun! It takes my mind off of whatever is currently stressing me out and channels my energy into something positive for the future!
Avoid Procrastination
Adding on to my addiction to planning, I try to avoid leaving things until the last minute. Having to crank out an assignment the night before it’s due adds more stress than you might realize. While it may feel good to not do anything for a whole week, the amount of stress you feel doing everything in one day at once is worse than just getting it done earlier, or doing it little by little. This way, you’ll feel even less stressed out with all the free time you have with no assignments to do!
While these things work for me, they may not work for you — and that’s okay! It’s all about finding what makes you relax. Put some effort into trying out new hobbies or reading a silly but entertaining book. You may be surprised by just how much you like it!