College is “mad stressful,” as the kids say these days.
Just kidding, we’re not that old.
We were in college ourselves not that long ago, and we remember what it was like.
It can be a lot of fun, but especially if you’re pursuing a degree that will actually help you, it can also be very stressful and demanding.
That’s why, as mental health professionals, we tend to spend a considerable amount of our time devising and informing our patients about various methods of stress relief for college students.
And while we can’t go in-depth about each and every one of them in a single article, we will be going over five of our favorites.
Let’s get started!
1. Stretch In addition to all the other known benefits of daily stretching , it also psychologically prepares you for whatever is to come, whether that’s a big workout, a run, or just a long day.
This article is going to emphasize physical habits a lot, and stretching is an easy thing you can do every morning to start and improve your results with everything else on this list.
On top of having poor diets and being malnourished (even if they’re overweight), most people don’t get enough daily physical activity.
And part of that is not training their muscles to be more flexible and relaxed.
As far as stress relief for college students is concerned, being more flexible and more relaxed can only help–even if you do nothing else (although you should do more as well).
2. Calisthenics As we’ve mentioned before in a previous article , exercise is hugely impactful on mental and psychological well-being.
Like, it’s more major than even mental health professionals understood even as recently as a decade ago.
But what are calisthenics? Essentially, they’re bodyweight exercises.
In other words, they’re strength and cardio exercises in which you are using the weight of your own body as the resistance instead of using weights, as you would in a gym.
They can encompass everything from jumping jacks to handstand pushups and everything in between and beyond.
3. Lift Heavy Things & Put Them Down Keeping with the same theme, something most people don’t appreciate enough is just how effective weight lifting can be as a method of stress relief for college students.
For most people, rigorous daily exercise can actually even ease the symptoms of clinical depression .
Aside from the obvious physical benefits, this is also partly due to the side benefits of regular strength training, such as increased confidence and social interaction.
For example, if you get a gym membership and actually use it multiple times per week, you will almost certainly get more social interaction than you do now.
Even if you only greet the front desk person and ask them how they’re doing every time you go in, you will still be adding at least that one interaction to the total number of positive social interactions you have throughout the week.
4. Run Outside Going for a run, especially at sunrise or sunset (depending on the season and weather where you are), can be a great way to activate your muscles and endorphins even more.
You’ll also be getting your cardio up during the times of the day when the sky is at its prettiest, and the sun is at its weakest (so you’re very unlikely to get sunburn while also getting your daily Vitamin D).
Going for a daily run during these times can also do wonders for your circadian rhythm, which is vital to helping you sleep and wake up at the same time consistently every day.
And like stretching, improving your cardiovascular health, endurance, and leg strength will further increase your ability to do and enjoy all the wonderful things in life.
Additionally, it’s worth exploring the emerging discoveries around myokines, often called “hope molecules,” which are released by your muscles during vigorous physical exercise .
5. Observe The Sabbath (Even If You’re An Atheist) The sabbath was originally a religious concept (Saturday for Jews and Sunday for Christians), but you don’t actually need to be religious to do it.
In the beginning, the idea was that there was one day of the week that essentially belonged to God and, because God rested on that day, humans were obligated to do the same.
It was a way for religious people to honor their Creator, but it also had the side benefit of giving them a real day off, during which they were not to be called upon for any kind of work or labor.
No matter how full your inbox is or how long your to-do list is, you can take a real day off once a week, whether it’s Sunday or a different day.
And if you’re so overwhelmed with tasks that you can’t do that, then you’re living beyond your means, and you should probably scale back on your commitments before you burn out.
Note: When we say “take a real day off,” that includes not doomscrolling on your device(s) or binging news and rage-baity content on YouTube or some other app/website .
Mental Health & Physical Health Are Connected This has only been a short article (we try to keep them simple and easy to digest), but you’ll notice a difference in your mental health if you commit to these five tips we’ve listed.
There are many more forms of stress relief for college students that you could explore, and you certainly should explore those.
However, whatever else you do, try to at least start with these because they are among the most immediately effective methods available.
Even better, none of them involve getting a prescription for medication, which means you don’t need to concern yourself with potential drug side effects.
