The start of a new school year brings all sorts of craziness. Maneuvering through new classes, adjusting to a potentially new living situation, living away from home, etc. are all adjustments that a student has to make. However, stressing too hard is just not worth it, and there are simple ways to help maintain your mental health. With midterms right around the corner, here are some tips for lowering your stress.
1. Focus. If you are stressed about your workload, then get serious and actually focus. In college, there will always be distractions: roommates, music, Netflix, partying, what have you. These things can all distract and drastically increase your stress level. To lower your stress, sit down and really focus on the work you need to get done. Your grades will thank you, and so will your mental health.
2. Work out. Head over to the Ritchie Center and take advantage of the free access that students have to the gym and its amenities. Even if you only spend 15 or 20 minutes there, it’s an excellent way to exert some of that pent up anxiety and let go of any frustration or aggression. Plug in your headphones for some music or TV time to get your entertainment fix before heading back to the textbooks.
3. Go for a walk. This tip is perfect for clearing the mind. A quick walk around campus is a great way to de-stress. Listening to music accompanies it well, but it is also effective to leave the headphones out for a walk. It sounds cheesy, but listening and paying attention to what is going on around you allows your mind to hone in on the moment and let go of any stress. This way, when you return to your dorm or the library, your mind will be fresh for some quality study time.
4. Sleep. Stress can feel accentuated under low amounts of sleep because your body and brain are not in top shape and lack the appropriate amount of time to recharge. Fortunately, there is a simple fix for this: go to sleep earlier than you did the night before.
5. Socialize. Earlier I mentioned focusing, but the slightest bit of chatting can be beneficial. If you have been away for hours studying and are starting to lose your focus, take a break to grab dinner with some friends so you can relax for a bit. Though you might want to feel like an adult away from your parents, sometimes calling them can also help relieve your stress. My parents always advise me to come out of my room to be with people when I feel overwhelmed—as humans, we simply find comfort in the presence of people we care about.
6. Unplug. Social media can definitely have an effect on your mental health. Whether you get sucked into your friend’s photo album on Facebook or get caught up in a Twitter fight, it can be a huge distraction that leads to procrastination. Procrastination usually leads to stress, so minimize this by setting your phone on the other side of the room when you need to be productive or by asking a roommate to keep it away from you for an hour.
7. Breathe. It’s simple. When you do not know what to do next, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Take two or three if you need to. Everything will be okay.
