6 Tips to Combat Stress

Fall is in the air, leaves are covering the ground, and pumpkin spice lattes are fill all the Starbucks with their aromas. It’s hard not to love fall, unless you’re a college student reaching the end of your semester. Then your fall is made up of term papers, tests, and endless all-nighters, and stress may be at an all-time high. You can’t let that stress consume you though, and that's why this post is focused on 6 ways to end your stress. 

3 Distractions to Help Deal with Stress at the End of the Semester

The end of the semester is coming up for many of you guys, and while I am sure that you are excited about classes wrapping up, the end of semester can be a very stressful time. That is why I am dedicating this week’s post to three distractions that will help you keep your sanity at the end of the semester. Hopefully these three distractions will help make the stress of end of semester projects more bearable.

1. Hiking: It’s no secret that physical activity helps relieve stress, but going to the gym might not be your cup of tea when it comes to exercising. Now that spring has finally arrived, it’s time to take advantage of parks near you and going for a nice spring hike. It will give you a chance to see the beauty that spring has to offer and to get your daily dose of vitamin D.

2. Game Night: Another great way to relieve end of semester stress is by doing a friend game night. You can play games like Cards Against Humanity or Quelf that will help you make each other laugh and temporarily forget about different stressful projects. These games are also great to for creating inside jokes that will make you guys laugh for years to come.

3. Spa Day: If my first two suggestions aren’t good stress relievers for you, then try a spa day. You can pamper yourself by doing facemasks, getting massages, doing your nails, and binge watching your favorite TV show. By the end of the day, you’ll be so relaxed that you’ll be ready to take on the world.

I hope these tips help you find a great feeling of relaxation. If you would like more tips on how to deal with stress during the semester, then check out my previous post on stress management. What do you do to relieve stress?

3 Tips to Help You Survive the Stress of Midterm Week

Since it is the middle of the semester for most universities and midterms are about to be in full swing, I have decided to focus this week’s blog post on how to handle stress during your crazy school weeks. I will say before going further in this post that I am using tips that have helped me deal with stress and that these tips may not work with everyone. If you are truly experiencing severe stress and/or depression, then please speak with your campus counseling services or doctor for help with managing stress and/or depression.

1. Exercise: I know that many of you guys feel that there is no time during you busy week to exercise, but you should make time. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which make your body feel better and reduce your stress levels. Exercising also helps when you are dealing with writer’s block because physical activity can help give you that surge of inspiration you need. If you don’t know what exercises you have time for, I suggest searching the BeFit channel on YouTube for an activity that works for you.

2. Give Yourself a Brain Break Between Study Sessions: Even, if it is just watching a funny video on YouTube or drinking a cup of herbal tea, doing something that relaxes you will make midterms bearable. Taking a breather will also allow you to come back to work with a fresh perspective that may help you solve a problem you are stuck on.

3. Meditate: No, I am not asking you to sit cross legged and to say “Ohm!” for an hour straight, although if that helps you relieve stress, then go for it. I’m talking about practicing mindfulness, which is where you focus on the current moment you are in. To do it, you need to close your eyes and focus on maintaining deep breaths. Then you need to focus on trying to relax each part of your body one section at a time. Doing this only takes about ten minutes, but if you want to do more a more in depth version of meditation, then download Pacifica (available on iOS and Android), which will walk you through step by step.

I hope this tips will help you survive your midterms. If you have any questions or comments for me, then you can post them in the comments or tweet me, my Twitter handle is @JoieBieger. Stay tuned next week for tips on how to make your resume rock.
What kind of things do you do to make stress more bearable?

6 Tips for Finding a Good Workout

In college you are busy with classes, jobs, and friends, and this can sometimes make it hard to find time to exercise. Your issue might also be that you have the time to exercise, but no money to afford the gym or different exercise classes. I have six tips to make exercising easier.

1. Take Advantage of Your University Gym: Most colleges offer a free gym membership to their students and many of the larger universities have state of the art gym facilities, so take advantage of what your tuition helps pay for.

2. Attend Group Gym Classes: If part of your problem with exercising is motivation, then you should join a group fitness class, which are usually a free part of your campus gym membership.

3. Gym Buddy: Another way to motivate yourself to exercise is to schedule a gym date with a friend so that you will feel guilty if you miss your appointment.

4. At Home Workouts: If you have no time to go the gym during the day, then you can still get your exercise at home. Workouts like the one pictured above can be done anytime and anywhere because they require no equipment.

5. Use Fitness Apps/Videos: If the workouts above aren’t your cup of tea, then you can use fitness apps like JeFit (GooglePlay) and Daily Workouts Free (GooglePlay) or stream videos on YouTube channels like Yoga with Adriene and the BeFit Channel.

6. Invest in At-Home Gym Equipment: If you want to do any at home weight training or yoga you should invest in kettlebells and a yoga mat. You can find affordable workout equipment on Amazon and at Target.
I hope these tips help you have a nice workout. If you have any other suggestions or tips for finding a good workout, please leave a note in the comments. Enjoy your week and stay tuned!