It might be the time of year, or the fact that you’re a naturally stressed person. Regardless, everyone goes through those times where you’re so busy and overwhelmed with everything going on that you need to take a break and get back to your regular self. I’m guilty of becoming so involved with everything going on where I realize I need to step back and calm down. When I was in school my emotions were at an all-time high and these were my coping mechanisms on how to de-stress.
1. Taking A Bath
I’m a total bath lover and I could honestly have one every single day if I could, although if I did the novelty of how de-stressing it is will ware off. Every once in a while after I finish a long and busy day full of activities I fill the tub with some warm water and fancy bubbles, grab a nice drink, turn off the lights and turn on my music to sing along. By turning off the lights and having your favorite songs playing it brings you to a happy place and you feel so much better. For bonus relaxation put some epsom salt in the tub and mix it around.
2. Workout
There is nothing better than getting out of the house and getting your sweat on. You don’t have to always go to the gym and lift weights. As long as you’re doing something active it keeps your mind distracted and gets your body working hard enough to put you to sleep later in the night. The benefits of working out are endless, and is one of my favorite ways to mentally check out from the real world.
3. Have A Cut-Off Time
One of the biggest pieces of advice my cousin gave me when I was starting college was “give yourself a time of the day where no matter how much work you have to do, just stop.” Every night at 10 PM no matter what homework I was doing I would cut myself off and enjoy a TV show that was on, or just went to bed. That one hour helps your sanity like you would not believe.
4. Leave Your Weekends To Have Fun
I know with work schedules and heavy homework loads it can feel impossible to have a weekend off while during the school year, but keeping your weekends somewhat free is so soothing for the soul. Work as hard as you can during the week to keep on top of everything, that way you can actually enjoy your weekend stress-free. Even if it’s only one of the days, it can be so helpful just to sit back and feel stress-free for an afternoon.
5. Organize Your Time On A Piece Of Paper
If you’re an intense planner like me, you need to leave room for spontaneous activity and personal time. What I like to do is begin a schedule as to what I have to do for the month ahead. If I had school work I would pick a day or two to complete certain long-term projects so I could have availability later on incase I needed more time to complete it. If I know I had a busy family party, then I’d try to plan my stuff around it accordingly. That way you can physically look down and see what you have to do and when and feel more at peace that you have free time, rather than over thinking like a mad woman about how little time you think you have.
6. Listen To Your Favorite Songs From When You Were Young
I don’t know about you but there is nothing better than to listen to an old iPod and listen to the songs you’ve forgotten about until that moment. Put that puppy on shuffle and see what song comes up next. The second you hear the beat the words come flooding back to you and next thing you know you’ll be doing the dance moves you made up when you were 12 to go with it. There’s something oddly soothing and nostalgic about listening to your old favorite songs, so try doing that every once in a while.
Although life can be crazy and we feel we have no time for ourselves, don’t hesitate to create a happy ritual to improve your stress level. Without a happy and stress-free mind it’s impossible to experience life for all it’s beauty. Now go light a candle, curl up in bed and scroll through some more of Unwritten’s articles and relax!
Featured image via Loe Moshkovska on Pexels
