I don't know about you, but when I just feel down in the dumps about life and its expectations, I need some kind of coping mechanism. Especially since college is a wonderful place to foster all sorts of stress, frustration, and insomnia. When I feel overwhelmed or just downright depressed about school in general, I typically find comfort in these five ways.
1. Time to take a much needed chill pill.
OK, I know it might be hard, but there are times where you really need to take a chill pill. Not in the sense that you need to check your attitude, but the pill that makes you literally relax. Because Lord knows you need to a giant leap back from school and just take a nap. Better yet, go on Facebook and watch the other people continue to argue how unfair it was that Trump won the Presidency. That's always great entertainment.
2. You deserve that nap time.
I don't care what anyone tells you: you deserve nap time. I'm still trying to figure out what I was thinking when I was a kid. I always wanted to stay awake during nap time and refused to go to sleep. As I got older, I began to regret taking those required nap times for granted. So, if anyone tells you that you're an adult and therefore, don't need a nap then they're obviously lying to you. Who on earth has the right to say that sleeping for a few hours is a waste of time you could be spending working? Uh, have they no heart? Do they not understand that we have twenty projects due in or around the same week, essays to write, and at least five different readings from different classes to read, annotate, and comprehend?
I'm sorry, but I deserve that hour or so to just dream of me riding a magical unicorn spreading peace and rainbows to the world.
3. Time for a Netflix marathon!
If I don't feel tired enough for a nap, I immediately turn on the TV and prepare myself for hours of Netflix. It's always interesting how I can stress about classes one minute then switch gears to figuring out what show I want to watch. Normally, if I can't find a new show I just re-watch Criminal Minds or a movie I've already seen like Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Oh, and since I'm a total Disney geek kid, I watch Disney movies like Lilo and Stitch or The Lizzie McGuire Movie. There are a dozen more Disney movies I could spend hours re-living my childhood with, but I don't want to spend a long time listing them all out.
The point of the matter is: Take your time and watch those Netflix shows and forget about your schoolwork. Dive into the world of Grey's Anatomyor The Fosters and don't forget to click next episode again and again until you've had your fill.
4. Hangout with your friends.
College is not just for work and preparing for the future where you have to live without your parents in the world, it's also for making friends. Either you went to college with a group of friends you've known since you were in diapers or you met some new ones after coming to college; you should give them some attention, too. It's not about just keeping your nose buried in the mountain load of projects, essays, and other homework, but taking the time to hangout with your friends.
I know for me, my friends have to literally drag me from my work because I stay focus on what needs to be done. I barely give myself any breaks because I'm afraid of not completing what assignment I'm on in time. Thankfully, no matter how many miles that separate us, they'll always come and force me to come eat supper with them and watch a movie on Netflix. Also, I can't thank the friends I've made here at Delta State enough for putting up with me. They're the best.
5. Take a nice hot shower or soak in the bath for an hour.
When the stress and responsibilities get really bad or when all else fails, a long hot shower or soak in the bath is best treatment. I don't know about anyone else, but I absolutely adore hot baths because I can finally take a load off and pamper myself. Granted, living in the dorms I don't have a bath tub (really sad about that), but an hour-long hot shower can easily do the trick. I don't step out of the shower until the mirror is completely fogged up and even when I take a bath, I don't get out until my toes are shriveled.
I have no idea how anyone can take five-minute showers or twenty-minute baths. I'm sorry, I have to chill out and just not think about anything in particular for about an hour. Also, a quick apology to the person who has to take a shower after me because that hot water is going to be gone.
