I don’t know about you all, but the semester has already handed my ass to me in a box with a nice little bow and it’s only the second week. School, in general, is mentally overwhelming and exhausting so yes, it is safe to say that we get stressed out. When we become stressed, it is good to occupy ourselves with things that do not cause additional stress. Here are some things that might help when things feel like too much:
Go to the lake
We are so lucky to have Cayuga Lake in our backyard. Get in the lake, sit on the dock, watch the sunset, literally anything, just do it down by the lake. Enjoy it while it’s still warm! The lake is so beautiful, and it brings me tranquility and peace of mind. Another one of my favorite things to do is watch the sunset. We get such a beautiful view from the lake that it would be silly not to sit out and watch it more often.
Nap
There isn’t much time to nap when you have a hectic schedule but whenever you have the chance to, NAP. Naps save lives. The National Sleep Foundation reports that 20-30 minutes can help improve your mood, alertness, and performance. So do it for your health.
Cook
Something that always makes me feel better is food, preferably not from the dining hall. Cooking for yourself or getting together with friends and cooking a meal is a great way to de-stress. It is important to bond with your friends but also to eat something homemade, as homemade food is the best comfort food.
Utilize the transportation
Y’all, we live in the middle of nowhere, and it is crucial to get off campus every once in a while for the sake of your well being. If you don’t have a car on campus, it’s pretty difficult to get off campus and do things that you want to do. However, we do have the Wells vans that make stops in different locations in Ithaca. Watch a movie, go bowling, go out to eat, visit collections and exhibits at some of the universities and colleges around us, go to the waterfall. We also now have Sunday Funday’s now, which I think, is super cool. Some nice trips are coming up like Niagara Falls and the Lafayette Apple Festival.
There are many ways to help unwind, the options are different depending on what you like. These are just a few ideas that are unique to us at Wells. The semester will get tough so make sure you’re finding ways to unwind that work for you!