Welcome back, Pirates and college students across the country! Hope you have enjoyed your summer break (even if it was a short one like mine due to summer classes) and are ready to dive back into your crazy life as a college student. If you are like me, you might tend to overload yourself with classes, work, clubs, and life in general. Normally, I stress out completely right around mid-terms, but this semester I am going to attempt to change how I handle stress.

Check out what I have found to be simple, relaxing, and helpful for a college student like yourself!

Every summer, my cousin, Madison, and I have a rather new tradition of trying something new that would count as exercise. Last year, we decided to take summer classes where we exercised and danced our way across the floor with some of our co-workers. This year, we decided to take it up a notch and start an exercise group where women could encourage one another while working out however many nights a week we could fit in.

We have an amazing trainer, Mrs. Trish, who finds ways to exercise our entire bodies through her workouts. Even if you think that you are not sore the minute class is over, trust me, you are going to feel it tomorrow and the next day! I talked to Mrs. Trish about stress relievers for college students who might have a lot going on and need a simple way to take a breather from it all.

She was more than willing to help us out during our time of need by talking about yoga for college students that we can do even in the tiniest of spaces (like your dorm room).

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Yoga is all about your mind, your body, and your breathing. There is a pose for every muscle in your body and a sense of relief after completing a few of these poses. What I like most about yoga is it allows you to focus on yourself even if it is only for twenty minutes a day and really tune out the rest of the world. I like to do yoga with some calming, classical music, but you can use whatever type of music that makes you calm or no music at all if you just want it to be about you.

Yoga is also a good practice to use before a test, project, or presentation. It puts you in a calm, meditative state that helps your mental focus to increase before you complete a task like a test. Not only can it help with any hypertension you might be experiencing, but it also helps with anxiety, depression, and pain management by releasing hormones such as a corticotrophin-releasing hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone. It's something that seems rather simple, but can be beneficial in many ways!

You may not know how to start out with yoga or have very little experience with it and that is fine! The one thing that I can say for people around our age across the country is that we can learn how to do something with the help of the internet (especially with YouTube). Sometimes it is easier if we have a guide to help us go through our workout especially if there is a lot of breathing involved. You can use Yoga with Adriene or Man Flow Yoga. With these videos you will learn how to control your breathing as you go through poses like the child pose, warrior, pigeon pose, and so many more that will greatly benefit you while lifting that stress off your shoulders.

Try at least twenty minutes a day whether it is morning when you first wake up or at night before you go to bed. It might be a little awkward for you at first until you figure out the poses, but I promise it will help you during your semester at college.

So, this is my challenge to you this semester. Try things a little different this go around and try to be less stressed. Practice yoga, take walks outside for some fresh air, go to an exercise class, and take a break when you need it.

You know the common saying that "Rome was not built in a day." It will take some getting used to, but it will be worth it.

And if all else fails, go find yourself a cupcake! Sometimes a girl just needs a cupcake and to dance it out with her best friend!

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