Calm down

Taking a break will actually make you more productive in the long run

De-stressing should not be distressing.

Many university students are constantly on the go. Between numerous classes and amounts of homework, plus many with demanding jobs, stress builds up easily. Along with this stress comes the feeling of being overwhelmed. After going through all that it is easy to get tired and want to quit. But there is a better way to cope with all that is asked of a university student.

The answer is to simply slow down and relax every once and a while. Set aside time in your busy schedule once or even twice a week to relax.

By relax, I don’t mean go get drunk with friends or waste your time doing other activities that stress you out. Do something that is actually calming, something you enjoy that puts you at ease, something you don’t have to work at. Of course this doesn’t have to be something you do at home, there are many relaxing activities available at the university itself.

If swimming is something you find relaxing and calming, the university offers recreational swim times, as long as you have a student ID card.

Of course, due to aquatic sports and staffing the pool recreational hours only run at certain times. The hours of recreational swim can be found on the university website or if you take a walk down the kinesiology building hallway, there is a poster near the change rooms also displaying the times available for recreational swim. So if any of the swim times work with your schedule take time out of your day, even if it is a half hour, to relax and slow down.

The university gym is also a nice place to relax if you enjoy working your body and releasing pent up stress. There are sign-up sheets on the front desk for the equipment, just book your time. If you are new to the gym, the staff is very helpful and friendly, feel free to ask them about any equipment and how to use it.

If physical activities don’t relax you, there is always the option of picking up a good book, one that you don’t have to study for a class, and reading for a little bit each day. Pretty much anything that gets your head out of the pile of shit you have to do, and into a relaxed state that you can enjoy.

Why is this important? It’s important to relax because if stress keeps building up, you will become overwhelmed. You’ll find that you will have so much going on inside your head that you can’t think straight, which isn’t good if you are trying to focus on an important assignment. Allowing yourself a little time to relax lets your mind calm down and straighten out what you have to do while releasing stress. In the long run, it helps you get through everything without having to quit.

Raenna Gohm
Contributor

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