No matter your major, age, or lifestyle, everyone has the tendency to get overwhelmed. There’s no way of escaping that, it’s just a human obstacle. I think that the most overlooked thing in life is self-help. I think that you need to constantly need to take time out of your week for yourself, which is often something that we forget to do.

A lot of people forget to do this and then ultimately end up at a point where they are forced to do take a break. Hover, I believe that this is avoidable by taking weekly, if not daily, times for yourself.

When people think about taking time out of their day to relieve stress, I think that a lot of people’s minds go straight to something like yoga. While I believe that yoga could be a great way to do this, I don’t think that it is the only way. I think that there are different categories of things that you could do for yourself throughout the week, and I will share some of them with you now.

1. Entertainment: This category includes things like watching your favorite TV show or movie, listening to music, playing a game on your phone. A lot of people regard this category as procrastination. However, you could look at it in a way that not many people do and say that by doing more work, or whatever your day is usually consumed in, is procrastinating your self help. Some people may think that this is just a ridiculous excuse to watch more Netflix, but I refute that by saying that your brain needs rest and relaxation. We all need some mindless thinking sometimes and it shouldn’t matter what outlet we use for that. 
2. Exercise: A lot of people destress by going to the gym and lifting weights or doing cardio. This is a great stress reliever and helps you not only physically but mentally as well. Exercise releases dopamine into the body which helps relieve stress and trigger happiness. You can also start exercising with friends which is a great bonding experience and motivates you as well. Also, exercise does not have to be a full body workout every time that leaves you sore in the morning. Something as simple as just walking around the neighborhood is a good stress reliever and can help you to destress. I find exercise to be my greatest source of self help and not only does it help me settle my mind, but I am multi-tasking because I know that I am helping my body as well.
3. Social: One of the biggest ways to destress is to do something social. This category is open for many different interpretations. Some of my favorites are baking with friends, going to watch a movie, embarking on a new adventure, or even just taking time out of my day to sit with my friends and family to catch up. In college, it is often hard to find downtime but it is important to remember to try and still keep your connections that you have and to not get too consumed in your work. I make sure to call or FaceTime my friends and family a couple times throughout the week so I can stay updated and interested.

My thought is, even when you don’t think you  have time, we can always find the moments in the day to stop and do something for yourself. This is your life, take care of it.

See you on the next stop 🙂