Since midterms passed and finals are on their way I thought I would come up with a little list of my favorite ways to de-stress and I hope they work for you if you try them. If you have some ways of your own be sure you share them with people in the comments. What works for me may not work for everyone but I hope they help.

1.) Listen to Music

Playing my favorite song or a few of my favorite songs that make me happy is a surefire way to relax. Turn up the volume and tune out the world, this is one of my favorite things to do. I'm not saying you have to make a relaxing playlist of really slow songs to relax you, listen to whatever you like. Sometimes I want to hear Jhene Aiko and other times I'll turn on Chris Brown and Trey Songz. It really depends but listen to whatever music makes you happy and will lift your mood. I also enjoy listening to music while I study or clean because it makes the activity seem more fun.

2.) Take a Bath or Shower

I love taking baths but being in college that’s not really possible. But I have found that a nice hot shower helps me feel a lot better. This ties back into number one because I put on some of my favorite songs, turn on the hot water and sing. It helps the stress melt away. Using your favorite body wash or a bath bomb if you're able to take bath also helps with this step.

3.) Paint

Painting is just so fun. If you haven’t just bought some cheap paint and a canvas just to sit down and mess around with it I definitely recommend it. It lifts your mood so much right away. Even if you just throw paint on a canvas like I tend to do. I find it so fun and relaxing so I would definitely suggest you do this whenever you’re really stressed out. Marshall University actually hosts quite a few of these events in the dorms and around campus so they really understand the therapeutic properties of painting.

4.) Watch Youtube or Netflix

For this one you can use Netflix or any other pace you watch movies, I just like to destress by watching some of my favorite youtubers. I try to pick funny videos so I can have a good laugh and it lifts my mood. It is really hard to be upset while you’re watching something funny. Even if you just put this on in the background it will help you out.

There are many more ways you could destress of course but these are just a few of my favorites. I hope they help you to relax while you’re doing homework and studying for finals in a month or doing any other stressful activities. Life can be tough especially if you're in college so you just have to remember to breathe and take a second to relax. Being well rested and calm is just as important as studying.