Big prelim in Stats? Stressful. Spanish paper due by midnight? Stressful. Phone interview with your dream company in the morning? Stressful. Stress. Anxiety. Overwhelmed. Burned out. I bet at least one, if not all, of those phrases have infiltrated your vocabulary when describing a typical day in the life at Cornell. Cornell is the school we love to hate. The fact of the matter is: it’s hard. This is Cornell. We eat, breath and sleep stress. Our libraries are open later than our bars – enough said. Prelim week? Ha! Try prelim semester, am I right? Here are 11 ways to help manage stress:
1. Breathe
Take a minute (or fifteen) to close your eyes and focus on breathing in and out. The more you focus, the more you’ll start to ground yourself and take your mind off what’s been stressing you out; even if only for the few minutes you do this.
2. Make a List
Something that helps me is writing down everything I have to do and prioritizing them all. It can be a little daunting when you first start the list and look at the entire page front and back of things your have to do, but prioritizing it is the next best step to see what absolutely has to get done.
3. Workout
For me, it’s a long run that helps. Sometimes you need to just take a break from looking at the piles of work you have. Take a trip to the gym, run, or do some sort of exercise to get your heart pumping. Studies show the endorphins released while exercising increase your ability to focus!
4. Smile and laugh
Whether it’s watching a funny video, thinking about that time your best friend made you fall to the ground laughing or just smiling because it’s hump day, the actions of smiling and laughing are connected to your brain. Try it – you might feel better!
5. Talk to someone
This doesn’t mean you have to book the next possible appointment at Gannett for stress management workshops – try calling a sibling or a friend and just talk to them about what’s going on. It’s always nice to be validated that it’s okay to feel the stress you’re feeling.
6. Two words: Dance. Party.
If you watch Grey’s Anatomy, you know as well as I do that Meredith and Christina’s dance parties work for the happiest moments and some of those moments you just want to pull your hair out with anxiety. Pop on some of your favorite music and just dance it out!
7. Have a snack
Normally when I feel too busy, I tend to forget to eat. SO, my hanger might only be making matters worse. Try eating a little snack and see if it helps ease some of the gross feelings when you get down in a slump.
8. Take a break
Real talk: you’ve put off your paper or your three problem sets due tomorrow this long. They can last another hour or so. Sometimes, you need to physically remove yourself from the room – it does you no good to spend the little time you have left worrying about how much time is left.
9. Do the little things
This one is totally dealer’s choice, but I personally like the feeling of being able to check easier tasks off my to do list. That way, it’s not as daunting when I spend a couple of hours on one big assignment after I already substantially shrank my to do list.
10. Don’t be afraid to cry
I know, this one sounds weird. Why would I encourage you to cry – isn’t the whole point to avoid the tears stage? Being totally honest here, sometimes they’re inevitable. Sometimes there is nothing like a good cry sesh to get it all out of your system. Crying might not be my first suggestion, but that doesn’t mean that it should be off the list.
11. Take a shower
How many of us claim our greatest thoughts come in the shower? When you’re feeling overwhelmed with tasks, take a shower. It gives you an excuse to do something productive and necessary while still taking a break – who doesn’t like feeling squeaky clean after stepping out of a relaxing shower? Shower dance party; shower karaoke; solving the world’s biggest issues one shower at a time; however you like to spend that time under the water, a shower might be the best option for you!
