Hi all,
Apparently I am only able to blog once a month when I am in love. Who knew? 😀 Although I am still spending as much time as possible with my boy, and school is picking up again until finals in mid-May, I challenge myself to blog once a week until my birthday (May 16th). This is a great way to keep up with my life and to give the people I don’t see enough a quick glimpse into my thoughts.
SO, you are stressed after spring break, you say? You have less than two months to get yourself on track and ready for finals, you say? Yeah, nobody did enough over spring break and everyone’s freaking out. SO here are some great options (from discovery health and webmd) that you probably already know about but are ignoring because your stress spiral is already in full swing.
Kissing, hugging, and touching are very effective stress relievers! Give out some free hugs to your pals! Cuddle your family and pets if they’re okay with it! Those of you with significant others: Try to plan at least one more day a week with your partner instead of banishing them so you can get work done. It’s better for your relationship and for your stress levels if you have some physical contact 😉
Exercise. I know you may not want to. It’s hard to drag your tired body to the gym when all you want is a nap, but if you didn’t pull an all-nighter and you know that you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself, even a few short minutes of dancing to a favorite playlist in your room can perk you up. If you’re a college student, chances are you basically have a free gym membership at your school. Take advantage of it! Go to ZUMBA or boxing class until you’re back to happy. Push through! We only have a few weeks until summer.
Gardening, maybe?
Remember your hobbies. Sometimes it may feel like you have so much work that you can’t do anything other than worry about school and procrastinate all day before actually doing anything. Instead of sitting there staring at the screen, taking side trips to facebook, or pretending to read that book, do something you love! I should be doing at least three things right now, but what am I doing? Exactly. Blogging. Because it makes me feel good.Â
Having a good cry can be soooooooo rewarding. I know, you’re all probably feeling ashamed just for thinking about it because society has taught you that it’s a sign of weakness, especially if you’re male. To that I say, “SO WHAT?” Maaaaybe our bodies know what they’re doing when crying comes forth as a natural reaction to a situation. Feel awkward about it? Then don’t do it in the library or while you’re giving a presentation. It’s a private thing you can do all by yourself in your room. It doesn’t work for everyone. All I’m saying is that you should just try not to suppress your tears when you feel that pressure behind your eyes. Let them out and a bunch of your stress will likely follow them.
AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Swear a bunch or scream it out if crying makes you feel too silly. Swearing will make you feel so much better. There’s just something about those four-letter words that makes you feel in control. They’re perfect if you want to tell your friends about that sh***y assignment that you have to f**ing finish by f**ing Wednesday. OR you could just go somewhere where you can primal scream your way to sanity. Maybe combine them. Go swear at the top of your lungs in a hopefully child-free area. This will be easier if you’re not in the city, but it’s fun. Maybe it will even get you to laugh….
Laugh it off/Spend time with people. Can’t laugh? Fake it until you can’t help doing the real thing. Go see your funniest friend or look up a really stupid movie on netflix. College humor or reddit r/funny it until you get a good chuckle going. It works! Take a break and stop looking so serious all the time. Your friends are probably stressed, too, and the best way to laugh it off is to socialize.
Count your blessings. This is the last one I’ll give you because it is really important and it should be done before or after you’ve completed one of the other stress-relieving tasks. Or all the time, anyway, just to remind yourself how great life is. Think about the things you love, the people you love and the people who love you. Consider what a privilege it is to be able to read this blog because you have internet… what a privilege it is to be able to see at all. Yeah, like any of these other ideas it can make you feel silly to have a go at this one, but wouldn’t you rather be silly than depressed?
Wishing you a stress-free everything.
Love,
Julia
