Happy October 1st Everyone.
Well, its the tenth month of the lovely year of 2012. The ups, the downs, sometimes life can feel like a rollercoaster. I sure do feel that way sometimes.
This time of the year can get stressful quick. Your first grades are coming back, perhaps your first big projects are due pretty soon for all of your classes all in the same week, maybe you are just homesick, or maybe you just made some pretty poor choices this September.
Everyone has their own issues that contribute to their own personal levels of stress, nervousness, and anxiety.
I am going to give you some tips on how we can all overcome stress and relax.
1) Sleep! Sleeping is probably up there with eating, drinking, and breathing on the scale of vitally important attributes that a healthy, happy, and successful human being needs. Sleeping and napping is like therapy! Do it more often; I know it isn’t always as exciting as staying up and watching television, but it is so terribly important.
2) Exercise! This helps so much, going to the gym or playing frisbee or football or anything promoting physical movement is invaluable to the body’s health. Sometimes I feel like college students are too focused on exercising their minds in classes and in the library doing homework. Yes that’s important, but your brain isn’t the only thing that needs to be used in your body. Sometimes your muscles get jealous of your brain and they need to be used too. If you exercise you will also have a much easier time sleeping.
3) Complaining is often one of the easiest things to do when you feel stressed out. A little bit of complaining isn’t a bad thing and can help sometimes. However, when someone complains constantly, it’s a little bit like being stuck in the mud. By complaining, the focus is on the issues that are making the individual feel insecure and anxious. Try focusing on how to get over you’re worries than focusing on them. It really does work I promise. This is a hard tip to follow all the time, I know. I love to complain and I often feel like it hurts more than it helps.
4) Try to indulge in the little moments of the day when you can relax. Whether this is on the shuttle or if you have an hour in between classes. Put your headphones on and listen to your favorite songs. It will help you focus on something besides your problems and can help you recover and be more confident.
5) Keep your chin up! Too often it feels like we just want to stare at the pavement and ignore everyone because of our insecurities and inhibitions. This is not the way to go about your day. You might not be able to choose what happens to you everyday of your life, but you can choose your attitude, and no one can take that away from you. If something happens this week that upsets you, don’t let that problem get the best of you. Keep your chin high and your confidence even higher. If you feel confident then you’ll feel comfortable and if you feel confident and comfortable then you can take on the world.
6) Don’t say no to challenges. Every human being is equal. No one is better than anyone else and everyone can be great. It’s not easy and it’s certainly hard. Anyone can be the next Mother Theresa, or President Obama, or the next nobel prize winner. It’s only when you say “no, I can’t” and back away from the challenge that you disqualify yourself. If you want to grow up and have monuments built after you, then you can. Never say no and never give up.
7) Have patience. Frustrating things happen all the time and it can get upsetting. That’s inevitable. I wish I could grant everyone the patience to accept those things in which they cannot control. Unfortunately patience starts with the individual. This is probably the hardest tip on here but perhaps the most important. Patience is a virtue.
I hope that helped you feel a little better. I know it made me feel better. Let’s lighten up and smile. Here are a couple funny memes to maybe put a smile back on your face.
I hope you all have a great October. Remember: pumpkins are for carving and eating… not for smashing.
-Tim
