There’s been a recent influx of students becoming more and more stressed as the school year runs on. Multitudes of freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors alike are scrambling to handle all their classwork on top of navigating a new building, holding up their social lives and occasionally even jobs. Where can someone get a little free time around here?
Stress can lead to multitudes of negative effects, like headaches, fatigue, stomachaches, increased heart rates and even panic attacks. A common query in the halls is asking for soothing tricks, tactics and distractions from life back on the schoolgrounds, so here are a few grounding techniques that can help soothe you until you can get back on your feet.
The first tactic is simple, and maybe overused, but overused for a reason: breathing. You may have tried this before and it might not have worked out in your favor, but of course, breathing patterns matter too. If you take small, shallow breaths, it probably won’t work because you’re not getting that much oxygen to your brain. Try taking deep, drawn-out breaths, (but stop if you think you’ll pass out). Pace yourself and time for around 10 seconds for each breath. Try not to overthink what’s at hand while you’re at it. Think about only your breathing, think about the oxygen traveling to your brain, think about how the respiratory system works, whatever you like. After an adequate amount of time has passed for you to calm down, return to your task with newfound determination.
If that doesn’t work, a personal favorite is washing hands. It’s a little more unorthodox, but cold water shocks the hands and can make you feel like you’re cleansing bad thoughts out. While washing your hands, choose cold water, and imagine the water washing off any negative thoughts and stress you have. Take note of how the water feels on different palms of your hands. You can even use warm water if you want and compare how different cold and warm water feel
Other tactics for calming down during your current task include eating a snack slowly (Tip: if you eat with your eyes closed, it tastes better. Seriously!), focusing on a single object carefully, chatting with someone else about it or if none of this works, it could be time to get up and simply walk away from the task. As long as the task isn’t particularly “going anywhere”, you can always come back to it with a fresh mind and see if it makes you feel better.
Remember that your mental health is a great priority, and you should do whatever you can to keep it afloat. It’s much easier to fix a bad essay than it is to get over a breakdown. Take some time to tend to yourself, and your mind and body will thank you.
