Normally, now would be the time that students would be heading home for a relaxing week of spring break. Spring break gives students some time where they can push the college work to the side and focus a week on themselves, figuring out what kind of relaxation they need to keep their energy going during the semester. This spring break can often be crucial for some students, but this semester, there’s no spring break. Since there’s no spring break, students may be wondering how they can take some time for themselves. Here are some tips and ideas on how to relax and recharge during this hectic time. 

Getting up and out of the dorm – It sounds silly, but just moving around can make a big difference in how students feel. Especially living in a dorm with no access to sunlight, just getting outside for a short walk can make the difference in feeling awake and happy or down and gloomy. 

Don’t drink too much caffeine – It’s hard being a college student and not relying on coffee or energy drinks to be awake; however, caffeine is a stimulant. Anxiety and stimulants don’t go well together. This can be a huge factor in how the day goes, and a lot of times, too much caffeine can cause general anxiety symptoms and increase the risk for panic attacks. 

Try yoga or meditation – Yoga and meditation are simple activities that promote breathing awareness and relaxation. The focus on breathing creates a peaceful atmosphere and an increase in positive mental health. Yoga and meditation are both easy activities to take part in, too, since there are thousands of videos online detailing how to get started in either right at home. 

Do a task – Keeping busy with small, tactile tasks can reduce stress. It gives the mind and hands a distraction allowing there to be a focus on something other than stress. The activity can be doing a craft, organizing a desk, or whatever is calming and hands-on to each individual. This will provide a different focus for the brain as well as keep productivity. 

Listen to music or read a book – Immersing into a story or song not only provides an escape, but depending on the story or music, it can be calming too. Music or books from people’s childhood bring back happier memories that help people to relax too. There’s an endless world of media to discover, and once people find their comfort song, book, or movie, it becomes the perfect go-to relaxer. 

Write down your thoughts – Getting out what’s stressing you onto paper helps to figure out how to go about relieving stress. Writing a list of things you’re grateful for brings up a positive attitude. Even just letting everything out on something tangible clears the mind. It’s a good way to organize thoughts and feelings while also calming down. 

These tips may not make the stress go away, but they do give some ways to relax and keep away from getting too stressed out. Students have a long semester ahead of them with no breaks, but as long as they take time for themselves, they’re going to be just fine. No one wants a semester of stressing out and breaking down.