Colleversity Tips: Stress Relievers

Life in college and university can be very stressful.  There's the pressure of work, homework, labs, projects, exams, relationships, and many other things.

If you push yourself and stress too much, you'll only end up hurting yourself.  Stress weakens one's immune system as well as lowering one's performance.  Stress messes with your mind and can cause an overall negative chain-reaction.

I'm not saying that all stress is bad.  Stress can be good - it can be used to motivate you to stop procrastinating and get your work done.  However, there is a limit on how much stress you can handle and once you approach or pass that limit, the things in your life start to deteriorate.

When you are negatively stressed, you just need to take a step back and reduce your stress levels.  Here are a few things that will definitely help reduce stress:

• Exercise.  Run outside, play a sport, or work out at the gym. Whatever it is, exercise is one of the best stress relievers.  Exercise for at least 30 minutes to an hour.  You should exercise everyday but that may not be an option.  So make a schedule and follow it; you can exercise 5 days a week, on MWF, on days where schedule isn't busy, or whatever other days work for you.  While it's ok to exercise at night, it's best to exercise at noon and even better to exercise in the morning.  That way, you'll feel fresh the whole day!
• Sleep.  Getting plenty of sleep is necessary.  If you're feeling stressed, maybe all you need is a little nap or a good night's sleep.  If you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep, time will wash your stress away.  If you take naps, don't make them too long - 30 minutes to an hour should suffice.
• Walk outside.  Taking walks are an excellent way of clearing your mind.  If you're feeling stressed, you should leave your baggage behind and take a stroll outside.  You can walk in the morning or at night; in the city or in a more natural place.  I recommend talking walks in nature rather than the city because the city can still be very stressful.  The best nature places to walk are on trails, in a forest, in a garden, by a beach, or any place that enables you to escape the city.  Breathing in fresh air, hearing birds chirp, and feeling the breeze on your skin will definitely take away your stress.  
• Take a break, do something you enjoy.  Sometimes you need to take your mind off whatever is stressing you out.  You can do this by engaging in your favorite hobbies.  It may include watching movies, watching TV shows, or watching Internet videos.  It may include reading, playing video games, or playing music.  It may even involve exercising, sleeping, or walking outside.  Whatever it is, make sure that don't spend too much time doing whatever it is your doing or else your 30 minute break may turn into a 3 hour break!

Being stressed can be good because it helps you to perform better under certain situations.  However, an excess of stress can be detrimental to your health.  If you are feeling over stressed, these are a couple tips that will definitely help you to relieve stress. #GreatImSoHappy

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