25 Ways to Destress for Broke College Students Who Barely Have 5 Minutes
- Puzzle. Try and distract your brain from everything else it has to keep track of
- Coloring
- Origami (be careful, this activity can sometimes bring added frustration!)
- Get outside! Go for a walk, run, or just stand and breathe in the fresh air.
- Hug a tree! It’s good for you, I promise! If you don’t believe me, check out this site!
- Swing (The motion is soothing and releases adrenaline which helps ease stress (you also feel fantastic and free)
- Remember these things??
WELL, they are extremely relaxing when you submerge your hands into them and immensely satisfying to squeeze until they break (particularly after an annoying class or receiving a not-so-great grade).
- Go pick some flowers, grab a lemon, cucumber, fruit or whatever your heart desires and sniff them up real good for some destressing aromatherapy!
- Listen to relaxing sounds
- Sip your favorite warm drink while watching your favorite childhood shows or movies
- Write down everything that’s stressing you out to clear your head
- Bee breathing. Take a deep inhale and as you exhale through your nose, make a humming sound. Focus on the vibration you are creating and how it drowns out your worries. For a more intense experience, cover both of your ears while you hum. Here’s a more in-depth look at this powerful tool: https://www.outofstress.com/bee-breathing-technique/
- Exercise
- Sing/dance. Remember how distressed Elsa was when she ran away? Remember what made her calm down and find peace? That’s right, she sang and danced! So, take it from her, LET IT GOOOOOOO (your stress, that is)
- Buy something recently? Go to town on the bubble wrap! *Not advised if you have an easily annoyed roommate
- Hula hoop! *Also not advised if you have an easily annoyed roommate
- Stretch
- Progressive muscle relaxation (stress balls also accomplish this!)
- Watch satisfying art videos
- Daydream. You can be anything you want, anywhere you want, doing anything you want, escape your worries and have fun with it.
- Self-hypnosis or guided meditation
- Keep a gratitude journal or any type of journal
- Put different textures against your skin, like a soft blanket or your spiral notebook coil, and focus on the way it feels
- Organize/rearrange your room and watch how you become a whole new person
- Think and Reflect. Take a minute to really think about how important it is to be stressed right now. Is it something that will matter in the long run? It’s okay to be stressed, but sometimes we obsess over things that are out of our control. If you received a bad grade, for example, it’s okay. Turn around and focus on studying differently for the next assignment. Don’t let things drag you down for too long.
The most important thing is to just free your mind from your stressors. So even if nothing on this list sounded interesting, hopefully, at least reading through it provided you with a few moments of peace.
