Quick and easy tips for staying stress-free and happy in college

It really is one of the best parts of your life!

College is great/hectic/exciting/fulfilling/stressful/overwhelming… You get my point. Sometimes balancing everything that you need to do with everything you want to do, seems impossible and too much. And to be honest, I think this is totally normal and good to feel this way; it forces us to prioratize and get better at time management. Stress and anxiety are two issues most college students face. But one important thing that not every student considers is what they can do when they feel like they have too much stress hitting them at once. Here are my favorite things that keep me going for when the times get tough:

Write a list of things that are stressing you out right now. Make a list. Look at it. Why is it stressing you out? Is it a due date? Plan what you can do today to make progress on it. Once you have completed the list, tear it up, and throw it out! Physically throwing away my completed tasks feels extremely satisfying and relieving.

What are you doing in your free-time?  Pay attention to how much time you are spending looking at Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, etc. The more time you spend behind you phone = the less time you will have to do other things…

Work out. This is a given. But seriously important! Even if it is for 20 minutes, working out makes such a difference on how I feel emotionally.

Prioritize your sleep schedule. My brain will not function if I don’t get atleast 7 hours. Don’t expect to feel happy if you don’t treat your body kindly.

Prioritize getting your work done as early as possible. The more work you put in earlier on in the day = the more time you have to yourself. Not to mention, the later you wait to do your work, the more stress you put on yourself!

Take time for yourself. In college, it is hard to find time completely to yourself- especially if you have a roommate. Find times in the day where you know you can have space if you need it.

Make fun plans for the weekend. Have something to look forward to and treat yourself with after a long hard week! Nothing feels better than when I complete a tough week of classes and know that I can treat myself. 

Try meditating. I just recently discovered the app Headspace. Headspace has numerous meditation sessions that target specific categories such as: focusing, anxiety, happiness, sleep, etc. I try to do at least one daily session. They are extremely soothing to listen to and the animations are adorable! You can check out their website here!

So here are just a few helpful tips that I try to focus on when my college schedule seems to feel like it is consuming me. I hope these help <3