By Alani Miller
A clean break // Photo retrieved from Good Relaxation
College is stressful to say the very least. I’ve never heard any post-grad say, “Wow, these last four years were a breeze!” I remember my first semester of college as if it ended last week (thank goodness it didn’t.) I was at the ripe age of sixteen and was probably the most naïve freshman ever. I thought because I did well in high school, college couldn’t really be that much harder. Well, my first week in, I found myself crying in bed buried in what seemed like a mountain of work and a brain full of lectures that may as well have been in Japanese.
Now, even in my third year of college, I have trouble taking a minute or two to de-stress and relax, but I’ve developed some much needed tips and tricks to help me when things are too chaotic for my liking.
Make a playlist that is dedicated to putting your mind at ease. This can be a compilation of ballads or even fast-paced songs. When my stress level is at a ten, I like to bring my energy up to that same number. Now I know this article is about relaxing, but I find something relaxing about feeling happy and energized. Pick at least six songs that make you feel good inside, put on your earphones, and listen to the words. Listening to the lyrics in songs makes you forget about the thing(s) that were stressing you out in the first place.
Call your friends and talk it out with them. I love calling my best friends when I’m not feeling like myself because they always have a fun anecdote to tell that helps me focus on something other than my problems. Sometimes having that alone time when you’re stressed can only make things worse because you have time to think about it even more. By calling or hanging out with friends, you’re able to put the problems you have on pause and enjoy yourself.
Treat yourself to some ice cream, coffee, tea, a movie, a hair-cut, mani/pedi, anything really. Do something you don’t normally do. Indulging every once in a while is a great idea. When I’m stressed and I don’t feel like talking to anyone or listening to music, I go get my eye brows done, paint my nails while watching a movie on Netflix, and eat some Ben and Jerry’s (or any ice cream with fudge and peanut butter chunks).
Put your feet up // Photo retrieved from Pinterest
Sleep it off. Take a nap or go to bed early and let your mind wander. This may sound weird to some people, but I often listen to hypnosis tracks. I read somewhere that listening to words of affirmation can be very helpful when you are going through something tough. Being the curious millennial that I am, I went to the App Store to see if they had anything I could download for free. It turns out, they do! I listen to a hypnosis track about happiness and confidence whenever I’m not feeling my best. I put it on while I’m lying in bed and let it play to my subconscious while I sleep. When I wake up, I always feel refreshed and ready for anything that comes my way.
Create a list of three things that aren’t going the way you think they should be or what is stressing you out, and make another list of five things that are going well in your life. Sometimes we all need to be reminded that things could be worse. It’s easy to get caught up in our problems and allow them to become bigger than we are. I’m a huge fan of lists. I will make a list to remind myself to make a list. I also love writing down how I’m feeling and why I’m feeling that way. Reading your feelings and why you feel them often helps in allowing you to register them in a healthy way.
Coping with stress is never easy, but it is also not impossible. These tips have helped me during midterms, finals, and through typical life-induced stress, and I really hope it helps you too. Until next time, Chic Daily readers!
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