By Brielle Ashford
When you find yourself trudging back to the dorm after a long, hard day filled with assignments, do you dream of de-stressing on your luxurious twin XL? Maybe not exactly – but when it’s all you’ve got, sometimes you have to make it work!
After your first few weeks of classes – whether getting to know the ins and outs of your campus for the very first time, or returning after a busy and fun-filled summer, collegiate life is officially getting in full swing; and that means for many students, homework, tests, and quizzes galore. The stress of the steady uptick in work is bound to hit you sooner or later!
Speaking from personal experience, when you find yourself in desperate need of some quality ME time, curling up in a cramped dorm room doesn’t always cut it. But with a little bit of effort, you could turn your dorm into your own personal spa – serenely set for self-pamper.
Here at ASU Downtown, that is exactly what many students found ways to do on Wednesday night with “Spa Night” at our very own Sun Devil Fitness Complex. Among the attractions were free acupuncture, massages, an “Importance of Sleep” panel discussion, de-stress coloring, DIYD (What I call “Do it In Your Dorm!”) hand scrubs and face masks, and an impeccable view from the rooftop pool deck – in all honesty, it was nothing short of heavenly (especially after making it through a full day of two tests and an essay due; yikes!)
But even if you didn’t find yourself poolside experiencing massage therapy on Wednesday night, the real beauty of the evening was that it was mostly dedicated to a few relaxing ways to de-stress anywhere. These mini tips for daily de-stressing can go a long way.
The DIYD Hand Scrub
Ingredients:
⅔ cup of sugar
¼ cup of olive oil
5 drops of your favorite essential oil
This hand scrub took two seconds to make – and I’m so happy I did! With all natural ingredients and the sweet smell of your favorite essential oil, this mixture can really help you relax at anytime and leave your hands feeling soft and smooth. The particular oil I used in my scrub; Beauty Aura’s Lavender, was an excellent choice and left my hands smelling like a bouquet of lavender. This was especially soothing given how natural it smelled; if you’re not a big fan of the strong scents used in many commercial beauty/pamper products, this is a great new option that you can make for yourself.
The DIYD Face Mask
1 tbsp. of raw honey
3-5 drops of fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. of coconut oil
Like the hand scrub, this basic three-ingredient, all-natural face mask was notably refreshing – if not for making my face soft and smooth for hours – definitely for the sweet scent of honey and coconut it left behind.
As shown in the pictures above, both of these treatments are nothing fancy. Effective, yet simple to make and simple to use; these treatments are the perfect pieces to craft a quick relaxation routine to get into every night – even after you finish up that assigned reading in those late night hours.
Coloring; Now Applicable From Grade School to Graduate School
Documented everywhere from CNN to the New York Times – this new method of de-stressing is definitely worth a try. With beautiful designs in stores and across the internet, this could be the perfect serene activity to take up on those light work nights (not to mention how pretty it would look hanging up in your dorm after its popping with so many different colors!).
Hopefully these tips will help you look and feel like your best after taking on the wild daily happenings of collegiate life. With face masks, hand scrubs and beautiful coloring pages (and maybe even a special occasion visit to a masseuse), you can make every day an opportunity to take care of what’s most important – yourself!
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