College can be a time of great stress. What seemed at first like an exciting chance to party nonstop for four months has now become the reality of classes, deadlines, social events, and tests. You thought you would overnight become this popular dude or chick with dates lined up every weekend, and now you find that it’s hard to make friends and meet people. You thought your parents would front you some cool cash to spend on everything you wanted, but now they say they can’t even give you your allowance. What does this all add up to? Big-time stress!
So what can you do to relieve this stress and try to become a person again?
In this post:
Here are ten tips to relax this semester.
1. Get enough sleep
The tendency in college is to get the least amount of sleep possible and have the most fun. Well, I do agree that you want to have fun, but be reasonable about it. Your body generally needs 7 to 8 hours each night to be fully rested. If you are cheating it time and again, you’ll start to feel the effects. Little things that you could have handled will seem like mountains instead of molehills.
If you don’t believe this, try it. Try staying up all night one night and then dealing with something stressful the next day. Then, try getting enough sleep and dealing with the same thing. It’s miraculous what the difference can be.
2. Know your body clock
If you are a morning person, schedule your most difficult classes in the mornings (or all of them.) If you’re a night owl, take some evening classes and avoid those Monday morning 9 am’s!
3. Be cued in to your body
What this means is knowing how to point out warning signs your body is giving you. Your body will tell you if it’s had enough and needs a break. If you start to feel sick on your stomach, you may be overstressed and need to relax. If you are getting lots of colds, you are perhaps working too hard and not eating well. If you start to feel feverish after not sleeping too much, this means you need to get some sleep fast! If you can read your body and know the cues it gives you, you can take proactive measures to deal with the stress before it turns into illness, like bronchitis or a stomach virus.
4. Eat healthy
If you eat the right foods, your body has the additional armor to take on more stress. College cafeterias have nutritional guidelines to follow, so if you have a meal plan, you should be able to find some healthy options there. Taking vitamins can also increase this viability.
5. Take lots of walks and maybe even a jog
It’s unbelievable how much more relaxed you feel after just walking around a quiet neighborhood for a mile or so. If the weather is not cooperating, you can do some exercises in your dorm room. According to Mayo Clinic, regular exercise increases your self-confidence, improves mood, lowers your symptoms of depression and anxiety, and helps you relax.
6. Get a massage, or give yourself one
You might be able to find places that give inexpensive massages. I know I was able to find a place that gave 15 minutes massages for $15 which is very affordable. Look for a massage therapy school where you can get discount massages from students. Don’t worry as they have instructors overseeing them so you know you’re getting a legitimate massage.
Massage really helped ease the tension and get me back on track. If you can’t find this, or can’t afford even a small amount, do it yourself. Get a handheld massager or just massage your neck every once in a while. Loosening up your muscles can really help to relax you. Worst case scenario, do some stretching exercises. This still helps to unwind you.
7. Visit a family member or friend
If you can’t relax, take some time and go visit someone you haven’t seen in a while. It will take your mind off your daily stress, and help you get back on track. One reason this works is that you’ll most likely tell stories of your college life to a friend, which will get it off your mind.
8. Make a list
Make a list of everything that’s stressing you out, and then throw it away. Tell yourself, as you throw it away, that you are throwing out the stress. This sounds silly, but it really works! But, you have to believe it!
9. Go somewhere
Go somewhere where no one else is around, and scream! Yes, scream at the top of your lungs. Take some deep breaths, and scream again! This will let out many frustrations and relieve stress.
10. Find a peaceful relaxing place
Find a peaceful relaxing place to call your own, and go there when you get stressed out. It could be a spot by the river, like a small secret waterfall. It could be a corner in your favorite laid-back restaurant, where you can be left alone to dine by yourself and have a great meal. One of my favorites is a corner of a bookstore, where you can chill out and read a good book.
