It’s rolling around to that point semester where stress, lack of sleep, and homework overdose may be getting to you. Maybe you recently got a bad grade on a project and it crushed your spirits. Or you haven’t had any social interactions because you’ve been studying. If you’re feeling a bit down lately we have a few steps you should take to cheer yourself up:

1. Coloring

Print out a coloring page and color it. For real! Flash back to when you were a kid and coloring in school. Life back then was so simple, so stress-free, so happy. It’s been proven multiple times that coloring helps you relax. Coloring is therapeutic: the activity absorbs your minds attention and helps you clear your head. Coloring is becoming a new form of stress-release for adults because it works! So if you can’t seem to clear your mind and are feeling overwhelmed, buy a coloring book, some crayons, and color away.

2. Drinking Tea

Not only is tea incredible for your health, but certain types of tea is known to calm you down: chamomile, peppermint, and lemon balm are just a few examples. Tea is also much healthier than coffee. So if you just replace your cup of coffee in the morning with a cup of tea, it might help you have a more carefree attitude throughout the day.

3. Running

In the words of Elle Woods from legally blonde, “running gives you endorphins. Endorphins makes you happy. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands.” Okay that last part probably wasn’t applicable, but she’s is completely right. Running can help you relieve stress. Exercise helps you loosen up your muscles and clear your mind. It also does give you endorphins which gives you a little high and does make you happy. So although exercise might sound like the worst idea when you’re stressed, running a mile might actually be one of the best ways to help reduce some of that anxiety.

4. Smelling Lavender

Lavender has multiple benefits. Not only is it known for being a calming and stress-relieving herb but it’s also been used to help headaches, asthma, cramps, insomnia, amongst other things. So if you’re having trouble sleeping because you can’t stop thinking about everything you have to do, put some lavender on your pillow and smell it through the night. Lavender is known to improve your mood, so if you’re going through a rough day, take a minute and smell some lavender.

5. Thinking Positively

Lastly, try your best to stay positive. P!nk once wisely said, “you’re so mean when you talk about yourself” and this is so incredibly true! Sometimes we’re too hard on ourselves and we need to give ourselves a break! Don’t be negative with yourself. Every time you hear yourself say something negative, say two positive things instead. But don’t do this only to yourself, practice being more positive in general, even to others: if you mumble something mean about someone you might not necessarily like, say two nice things about them instead. That way you can also practice being a kinder person and become a more positive person.

So if you’re having a rough week, a rough month, heck—a rough semester, hopefully one of these tips will help you to de-stress. Everyone can find themselves in a rut from time to time, but things will eventually get better, keep hanging in there!