Managing Stress

Written by Jihan Nadim

Are you overwhelmed with a ton of tasks? Are you not getting enough time to relax and focus on yourself?

Life gets stressful at times especially as a student. We have a lot of duties upon us ranging from school, home life, jobs, personal lifeetc., and all these tasks we are responsible with interfere with our own selves and our own lives. With all these stresses and worries in mind, we tend to forget about taking care of ourselves and it is important that we put ourselves first because our mental health matters and should come before anything. If we do not take care of our mental health and take time in the day where we can relax, we will feel overwhelmed and have a mental breakdown. 

With that said, I have generated some tips that I personally use alongside others to take some time out of the day where I can relax before going back to tasks that need to be completed. 

First, the most important tip I can suggest is to do what you love, what are you hobbies? Is it reading, writing, working out? It is highly important to do what you love throughout the day as I am pretty sure no one loves doing school work all day long. It is important to take time out the day to do a hobby you enjoy to keep yourself sane. Doing a bunch of tasks throughout the day like school, work etc., is not keeping you sane because you have no choice but to do those tasks, but doing stuff that you want to do has a great affect on your mental health and it is self-care. 

Another tip would be to go for a walk and get some fresh air (if the weather allows). When you are overwhelmed theres nothing that fresh air won’t fix its like natural medicine! Clearing your mind and going back to your work is a great way to take a break and come back to your tasks with a new clear mind. Taking breaks inbetween tasks is important as it lessens the overwhelming feeling one has and clears your mind. Exercise is also important even if it is a short walk as sitting on a chair all day doing work makes you feel tired and hurts your back. So getting up and taking a walk outside is natures way of healing your mind!

Another tip can be to just listen to music, watch a movie, listen to a podcast, and just relax. Laying down and just relaxing with your eyes closed is also a great way to destress as music has that power to just relax people. Even watching a tv show you love is a great way to relax and take a break from work!