By Ava Shaffer
It’s about that time in the semester when the end of the school year is in sight, but the workload is piling up. If you’ve been feeling stressed, burnt out, or overwhelmed- don’t worry! You’re not alone. Here are 5 easy (hopefully non-cheesy) methods of self care to help reduce your stress and become your best self.
1. Spend Time In The Great Outdoors (or Miami’s Quad)
The weather is getting warmer and the sun is coming out! With clear skies and the ability to spend more time outdoors, stress-reducing activities can take place outside of the four walls of your bedroom. Go for a walk along Miami’s campus paths, take your computer outside for a zoom class, or even try out hammocking between the trees. The sunshine can help reduce stress, and get you a great tan for the summer.
2. Exercise Your Way
Wait, wait, don’t click off this article yet! We know people are always told to exercise to reduce stress, and we also know that most people hate this advice. Although exercise seems overwhelming and scary at first, there are plenty of ways to exercise your way. For example, try out a light jog outside or some simple yoga in the safe space of your room. With easy workout routines, you can regulate what type of exercise is best for your body. Check out Madfit and Yoga With Adriene.
3. Low-expectation Journaling
Journaling is a great way to relieve stress throughout the day and get your thoughts down on paper. However, sometimes journaling can feel like another homework assignment adding on to your piles of other work. The best way to gain the benefits of journaling without the added stress is to practice low-expectation journaling. This could be jotting down a bullet point list of what you did today, or just writing random lines in any old notebook whenever a thought pops into your head.
4. Relaxation (Without The Guilt)
Have you ever sat down to relax after a long, hectic day but then felt guilty for taking that time for yourself? If so, know that this feeling is normal. Sometimes we feel like we have to be moving every second of the day to stay productive, but that’s just not true. According to a study conducted by The New York Times, relaxing can actually make you more productive! So kick off your shoes, watch some Netflix or Tiktok, and enjoy your down time.
5. Meditation (The Modern Way)
Like exercise, meditation can seem scary and intimidating at first. It could be hard to control your bustling thoughts. A simple way to overcome this fear is to use modern technology to assist you in your meditations. Apps such as Calm, Headspace, and Aura provide simple meditation tutorials that you can play from your phone any time. Walking to your next class? This can help you feel more in tune with your emotions and reduce the stress from this semester.
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