Top 5 stress relievers!

For those college students out there, this is the time where stress is at its max! Being a senior this year at Concordia, I can very much relate to the stressful times of finals week. Finals week at Concordia is next week and the following week for MSUM. While we as students can finally see the finish line for the semester, we can still get rather stressed out. The Mayo Clinic has released in a 2012 article their top most common stress relievers and I think we as students can take these tips into consideration.

Sitting at number 5 is to assert yourself. I have to learn this step myself. Sometimes college students take on too many tasks, thinking that they can manage them all. When, in reality, they just need to say no to some things and to take some time for themselves. During the times of final, you want your life to be as calm and peaceful as possible and being involved in too much might take that time away from you.

The number 4 stress reliever is to connect. The Mayo Clinic says that when you are stressed out, one of the best things you can do is to reconnect with friends and family. Sometimes just a phone call home to your mom or dad is just what you need to get you through the rest of your day.

Number 3 is to remember to laugh. According to the Mayo Clinic, "when you start to laugh, it lightens your mental load and actually causes positive physical changes in your body." Laughing makes you more relaxed and tells your mind that you are really happy. So I encourage you to tell some jokes, watch some Comedy Central, or read some jokes. You will be thanking yourself later.

Coming in at number 2 is to meditate. During meditation you can focus your attention on just one thing and you can calm everything that is racing through your mind at that time. Just to take some deep breathes really focusing your attention on one thing can really relive your stress. Finding times for meditation however can get a little tricky. You can do this on the way to school, breaks you might have between class, or even right away when you wake up in the morning.

And finally, number 1 is to get active. It has been known that any form of activity can act as a stress reliever. Physical activity makes you feel good about yourself and also I have learned that it allows you to take out some anger you might have bottling up. Working out can simply improve your overall mood for the entire day. Consider going for a walk or run or lifting some weights.

You can go to the Mayo Clinic homepage to find out more stress relievers tips and let us know what you do to stress less during this time of the year!