Spring time at Long Beach State. That means scrambling to finish projects, taking finals, graduation preparation and all the stress that goes along with the ride.
Some students still find themselves weighed down by the burdens that come alongside the end of the semester but either don’t have the right coping mechanisms to handle it or simply just not enough time.
Stress on a college campus is nothing new. Most of us experience it to some degree and we’ve all got our own ways of taking that stress on and surpassing it to achieve our goals.
For many, the issue is that we don’t have a lot of time for personal stress maintenance. It’s not a flaw, it’s just reality. It’s such a problem that even our most basic needs feel like a drain on the time we have.
Sometimes I’m part of that group. I like to call us the “sleep is a waste of time” group.
I personally take 15 units and work full-time. Every minute is a resource and some days I have to schedule down to 15-minute blocks.
To handle their stress, some students work out, some play games. Some students go take photos, others take care of their pets and plants at home.
There are students that go to the Japanese garden on campus and meditate and others who take a long walks and explore their community.
For myself, I’ll carry my TV to my kitchen and put on a movie, take several hours to cook a robust meal for two and then eat both of them myself. Cooking helps me relieve stress, but it also makes me hungry.
The point is, stress relief is important, even if it takes up some of our time.
The first thing you need to remember is that your way of relieving stress is up to you.
Maybe something that your peers do to relieve stress appeals to you. That’s great! But if you try something out, and it doesn’t help you, then find something different.
Forcing yourself to do something because it works for someone else isn’t a guaranteed way to cure your stress.
I had a friend who handles his stress by vertical wall climbing. I went climbing with him once despite my fear of heights and terrible core strength. For him, it was liberating. For me, I aged a decade in an afternoon.
You also might have to force yourself to manage your stress by scheduling the time to do it.
Taking a couple of hours to dance around my kitchen making Italian food isn’t always in the cards. As a result, most times I cook processed food in a microwave. It’s just faster, but it’s also not as healthy.
So once a week, I make it a point to cook myself dinner. This week it’s Thursday when I get home after class.
Will it help me with my assignments? No. But it will help me clear my mind and hopefully return to my assignments in a different head space. Sometimes, that’s all I need to get me over the hurdle I’m facing to get the project completed.