Feeling stress is pretty much unavoidable. However, there are some things you can do to help combat this stress you feel on a day to day basis. Bettering your stress is making sure to deal with the stress you have now, and preventing any further stress. As a college student, I know a thing or two about stress, therefore, I have provided some good habits to help you deal with the stress in your life. I use every single one of these tips in my life currently and they help significantly with my stress. Here are some tips you should follow to help you reduce stress.
1. Journal
When people hear the word "journal", they automatically think of an 8-year-old girl with her pink diary writing about how cute her crush is. No. That's not the kind of journaling I am talking about. I am talking about writing everything down that makes you feel angry, depressed, frustrated, hopeless, etc. It might also help you to write down goals in which you desire to reach. Being able to get out how you feel will help your mind become clearer. Also, many times we bottle our thoughts because either we do not have someone to listen or we don't want to burden anyone with our feelings. Journaling allows for neither of things to happen. We don't need anyone to listen to us and we will not burden anyone with our journaling because it is completely individual. As you continue to journal, it will help bring your being to a state of mindfulness where you can start to feel completely at ease.
2. Schedule
I've noticed keeping a schedule has made my life much easier. I write down everything I am expected to complete or attend and it helps me keep my life on track. This is a very good habit to get into because you aren't constantly thinking about remembering what you have to do. You will have time to think about other things, rather than remembering everything you have to do. Besides, when we are too busy, we sometimes end up forgetting important things we need to do. (I know I do.)
3. Color
I recently purchased an adult coloring book and it was probably the best thing I have ever gotten. They have a wide variety of coloring books from interactive coloring books (like this) to swear word coloring books (like this). I am able to color away my stress. Instead of focusing on all of the stress and overthinking every little thing, I am able to focus just on coloring the picture in front of me. It helps my mind block everything else out and get my body back into that mindfulness state that I want. I have found this best helps me if I do it before bed.
4. Read
Reading allows for a number of things to happen. First of all, it gives you a temporary escape from your own life. This is great when you just want to live in someone else's reality for a little bit and forget about your own. Second of all, it has you thinking about the story line and the characters rather than how stressed out you are. I like to read before bed because it helps me wind down after a long, busy day. Most times, reading calms me so much to the point where I feel sleepy.
5. Take a mental health day (if needed.)
We are taught that it is wrong to take these "mental health" days because it might show that we are lazy or careless. That could not be further from the truth. If you feel as though you need a day to regroup and figure out your life, then take a day off. I personally don't see any harm in doing so (every once in a while). Our mental state is very important. You will be able to get in tune with your body. You can figure out if you need some extra sleep, if you need to tackle something important on your To-Do list, or if you just need the day to lay around in your pjs. I can not stress enough how important these days are because after, you will feel refreshed, more productive, and less anxious.
6. Make a Stress-Less List
On this list, write down 10-15 things that you love doing. They could include going for a walk, watching a movie, taking a shower, hiking, playing fetch with your dog, anything. Once you have that list composed, put it in a visible place where you can see it at all times. Now whenever you feel stressed, you can look at your list and choose an activity to do for a few minutes to help you calm down. It can give you healthy options to manage your stress.
7. Sleep
Even though I am a total night owl, I know that I need sleep, especially on weekdays when I have a jam packed schedule. I mean, what's more relaxing than sleep, anyway? Sleeping does a lot of great things for your body, one being that it reduces stress and provides essential energy for your body. Something to keep in mind regarding sleep is that a routine is very important. I know we all love to sleep in, however, waking up and going to sleep at roughly the same times helps your body with its circadian rhythm. Consistency is very important to our bodies, so making sure that we possess that is key.
8. Weed out unimportant stressors
If you have something in your life that is not worth the stress, say goodbye. Weeding out these unimportant stressors in your life will alleviate the stress you feel on a daily basis. These unimportant stressors can be as simple as book club or yoga class. If it is adding more stress than needed to your life, you might need to assess how important it is in your life. If it not worth it, then cut it out of our life completely. You will be surprised at the amount of unneeded stress that has been alleviated.
9. Talk to family/friends
Being able to talk to someone about what's going on can be very beneficial because they might be able to help you better than you think. They might be able to think of different ways to help with the stress in your life. Also talking to family and friends will show you a new outlook and perspective on aspects in your life that maybe you hadn't thought of.
10. Ask Questions
This can be a very powerful technique especially if you have a very high emotional intelligence. You can ask yourself questions such as "Is this worth the stress?", "How could I best accomplish this task?", or "What is the most important thing I should be doing right now?" Asking yourself these questions may assist you in figuring out what tasks to accomplish and when to accomplish them.
