Hey, everyone!
So I don’t know about you all, but I am counting down the days until
final exams are over (13 days until 5/14) and summer officially begins! In the meantime, we have papers to finish up
/ begin, exams to continue preparing for / start thinking about, and CEC’s to
hand in / write up at 1:00a.m., the night before. How are we going to get through all of this
stress? Fear not, for I have been
searching the web for answers!
How to De-Stress before Finals:
Spend
Some Time Outside
Stress can be triggered when our bodies don’t know
what time it is, according to Julie Holland, an assistant clinical professor at
NYU School of Medicine. "Exposing
your retina to sunlight resets your circadian rhythm so your brain is on a
schedule,” she says. So, take a walk and
catch some rays a few times a week to de-stress!
(Really)
Forgive Someone
This is easier said than done, but totally worth
it. "When our minds keep rehearsing
troubling interactions, the body's calming system becomes impaired," says
Charlotte VanOyen Witvliet, a psychologist at Hope College in Michigan. You
have to really mean it, though! Let go
of something you don’t even need to be carrying around, and let your new found
freedom motivate you towards success!
Buy
Yourself Flowers
Studies were done at Harvard University that showed
that stress is somehow relieved in the presence of nature. In one of the studies, the University
delivered flowers to one group of women and gave candles to a second group. In
just a week, the first group felt less anxious and depressed.
Do
a Light Workout
When working out it can increase your mood, as long
as you don’t overextend yourself. It
will relieve tension and allow you to focus on something else for a little
while.
Play
Some Favorite Tunes
Play some songs that bring back good memories, like
something that reminds you of a first date or the first concert you ever went
to – anything that triggers a positive image!
Turn
the World Upside Down
I thought this one was interesting. An article on parenting.com had a post by a
woman who lies on several stairs upside down to de-stress. She says, "I'm not sure how it started
-- I think I probably just collapsed one evening after chasing a preschooler
and a toddler all day. It must have something to do with all that blood rushing
to my head, but since then, whenever I'm going insane, a few minutes upside
down on the stairs totally changes my outlook and mood."
Laugh
It Off
Laughter lowers your levels of cortisol, a hormone
that is released when you feel stressed.
Who doesn’t like to laugh?
Ten-Finger
Gratitude Exercise
Once each day, come up with ten things that you are
grateful for and count them on your fingers.
This exercise is supposed to bring to mind the small, usually unnoticed
things that also impact your day.
Reclaim
your Life!
Think back to a time when your life was less
frantic. What did you enjoy doing
then? This could be anything from reading
your favorite magazines to riding your bike.
Do it today or this weekend and put yourself back in touch with a part
of you that you may have forgotten or lost track of!
Go
to the Movies
Ask a friend or a sibling to go to the movies at a
certain time and see what’s playing when you arrive. Don’t do any research on show times or movie
titles and just pick one that looks good at that moment. Sometimes what makes us happiest is the
unexpected!
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