As a 20-year-old full-time college student, I'm not exactly surprised by how much stress I experience on a regular basis. However, I not very pleased with it either. As summer is finally here, I now have a little more time to myself (but not much, because as a 20-year-old, full-time college student, summer simply means interning/working). In this time, I've had the opportunity to think of some ways to live my life with a little less stress (or a lot depending, how much this list helps). Here are six ways to live life stress-free:
1. Leave The Past in The Past
I'm sure you've heard this plenty of times, and it honestly is a lot easier said than done. There is a lot of truth in this piece of advice though. When you start each day as a new one, you avoid letting the past bring you down. This advice is important because it is key in moving forward with your life, no matter what happened. You didn't get that job you wanted? Or you failed that test you pulled an all-nighter for? You didn't receive that scholarship you put hard-work into? It's okay because life really does go on and everyone experiences failures and moments of confusion and depression. If you don't pick yourself back up and realize that the clock will keep ticking and that no one moment defines who you are or what you're capable of doing, then yes, you will be stressed and stuck in the past. And when you're stuck, you're not going anywhere.
2. Leave The Future in The Future
You can probably tell by now that tips #1 and # 2 are basically encouraging you to live in the present. But, once again, that's easier said than done. As a person who experience copious amounts of anxiety due to the "unknown," I am working harder to leave the future in the future. A lot of times people try to imagine the future and picture where they will be. The problem with looking into the future is that there is no certainty, so what's the point of guessing? Tomorrow you will be a different person than you are today because we as people are constantly evolving and changing. Due to this, whether you're trying to make plans for the next 24 hours or the next five years, life will always throw you a curveball known as surprises. Now, I'm not saying don't make short or long term plans, but don't worry about the future so much that you are stressing yourself out over things you won't know about until you get to that point in your life.
3. Spend Time With People Who Make you Smile and Laugh
A lot of negative and terrible people have come into my life and it unfortunately took me a while to realize that they had brought their negativity along with them. Like they say though, better late than never! As soon as I realized how I and my life was being affected, I cut that person out. I noticed a miraculous change within a short amount of time and slowly returned to my normal happy self. This goes without saying, life is too short to be surrounded by people who bring you down and fail to value your worth. Besides, the more you smile and laugh, the longer you'll end up living and the happier you'll be. So, get rid of the bad apples so that you can properly shine.
4. Leave Your Phone Behind Sometimes
This tip isn't for people who experience stress when they are without their phones, though maybe you should work on that separation problem. I know this seems a little off when it comes to relieving stress, but it's actually really helpful. During my spring quarter, I decided to leave my phone in my room after class for a few hours as I went outside and read, studied or wrote. I found that being disconnected for awhile brought some calmness to surface because I was able to focus on my task as hand (therefore throwing procrastination, which leads to stress, aside), and I wasn't constantly checking my text messages or facebook to see what was going on with other people. Instead, I was focusing on myself and my priorities. By the end of my two or three hours, my mind was at ease.
5. Measure Your Riches By Who You Have, Not What You Have
If you've never seen the documentary "Happy," which is on Netflix, then you should drop what you're doing and go watch it! (I'm kidding, this is not a justifiable reason to excuse yourself from work or summer school.) But seriously, it is a very educational and inspirational documentary about happiness and it opens up by stating that some of the poorest people in the world experience some of the most happiness within. There is also a quote at some point that says "It isn't what you do, but it's who you do it with." So, returning to tip #5, you can be the richest materialistic person in the world and feel as though you have absolutely nothing. That is why it's important to determine your riches by who you have in your life and not what you have in your life. That Porsche or huge house won't be there to take care of you when your life is coming to an end.
6. Keep In Mind That You're Not Alone In Whatever You Go Through
Just imagine how long human beings have walked this Earth. Now imagine how many hardships each of those people have experienced within their lifetime. There are a lot of people who could look at some of the situations you are experiencing and say, "Been there, done that." You are never alone in anything that you go through, just refer to Google. There have been times in my life when I am freaking out because I'm not sure that I'll be able to get through whatever it is that I am experiencing. As a last resort I go to google and type in my problem (ahh, the confessions that writers must make within their work), within seconds I discover hundreds of threads or articles about people who have gone through the same situation and survived. And if you're too embarrassed to look it up on google... which I'm not sure why you would be, then seek out others who you feel comfortable with and pour your heart out. Regardless, you are not alone. (If you don't understand the Michael Jackson reference... this is a time to seek help).
