Thanksgiving is over and the only things separating you from winter break are seven essays, five finals, and a trillion assignments (or something like that). Face it, you're stressed, depressed, and most likely not that well-dressed. The thought of opening up your laptop to study, do research, or type an essay is enough to make you want to cry, and probably has once (or twice) already. No worries! I am presenting you with five ways to forget that you're stressed at all and ways to procrastinate even more.
1. Go for a drive.
Most people associate taking road trips or long drives with the summer, but I find the fall and winter to be even more refreshing to take a long drive. There's nothing like cracking open a window, blasting some music, and just getting lost on the road. Go out at nighttime and look at all of the lights and admire the view. Chances are that it'll take your breath away. I know personally taking the drive to Jones Beach on a cool night with a friend or two says "relax" better than anything else.
2. Adult coloring books.
You heard me correctly. Adult coloring books are incredibly popular right now, and there's a good reason behind that. Coloring releases stress and gives you something to focus on besides the things that are stressing you out. You can literally go buy a "Harry Potter," "Game of Thrones," or "Mandalas" coloring book and not be called a child for it because they're made for adults. Stressing out about staying inside the lines sounds a lot more fun than stressing out about how you're going to pass your finals.
3. Discover new music.
Take your pick between Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, Apple Music, or whatever else is out there and just go completely blind to everything but music for hours. I recently subscribed to Spotify Premium and I can (proudly?) say that I wasted three and a half hours just discovering and listening to new music. Time flies when you're finding new reasons to smile and music just has that characteristic. There is so much out there to be discovered and getting lost in the music trumps getting lost in notes. It has also been found to help people release a lot of stress.
4. Cook or bake something.
Whether you grill up a perfectly seasoned steak dinner or bake some delicious and sugary concoction with your friends, you are sure to forget about all of your stress for a little. There is nothing more rewarding than spending some time slaving over your food and then getting to eat it all and remind yourself how great you really are. There are also a million cool desserts and treats that you can find online. Go pick up the ingredients with your roommates and go nuts. None of you will regret it when you're chowing down on some heavenly-like substance and trying to do work.
5. Call your long-distance friend.
Let's face it, you haven't talked to this person nearly enough recently because you've been drowning in work. Well, now you're looking for a reason to procrastinate and the two of you have a lot to catch up on. And I'm sure your friend will be more than willing to help you kill some time! There's nothing more comforting than hearing your best friend's voice and you'll probably be on the phone for hours before you remember that you still have a million things to do.
In the end, you're going to make it through this semester and you're going to make it through finals. If you need to take time to forget about your stress, then do it! Stress isn't good for you and honestly, your health is quite more important than the difference between a B+ and a B.
