Take A Break!

Stress runs rampant in college. You see people stressing all over campus, on the Internet, and it goes on. If you cannot get a hold on your stress, especially early on in your college career, you will be buried by it. In my opinion, it is extremely important to learn to manage your stress as early as possible. In college, there are far too many things to stress about. Here are a few examples:

• Grades
• Managing an overwhelming amount of assignments and exams coming up
• Midterms and Final Exams
• What to take next semester
• Problems within friendships
• Homesickness
• Problems at home
• Not getting along with roommates

This is a great way to really relax! 

The warmer weather cannot come soon enough!

My goal in listing that was not to remind you of any stress in your life, but to exemplify the stresses that occupy the mind of an average college student. You need to figure out how to manage this stress NOW, before you get buried. One thing that I love to do is to just take a break. There is only so much you can do in a day or a week. We are only human. Stopping and doing anything but schoolwork is an awesome and effective way to clear your mind, and energize you to get back to work. I like to take one day per week, typically Saturday, to do anything but school. 

You may be thinking how can I stop, I have all of this work to do, and I will be behind if I take a break. My question for you, is how productive are you when you’re stressed? If you can take some time to get your mind off of all the worries in your life, you will be able to return to your work refreshed, and, most likely, more effective. There comes a point when you get so stressed out or exhausted, that you just aren't productive anymore. That is when you know that you need to take a break, and breathe. 

Maybe you don't have time to take an entire day off of schoolwork. That may very well be the case, but I challenge you to schedule some time every week to just relax, treat yourself to some rest, and return to your work refreshed. In my experience, I look forward to my Saturdays off, and it causes me to finish assignments and studying ahead of time, so that I can enjoy my rest without worry. 

- Taylor Green