10 Stress Relief Tips For When Your Brain Needs A Break

Life can get stressful sometimes, especially if you’re a busy college student. When your life gets busy and stressful, it can be really hard to get stuff done. Plus, no one likes to be stressed. Luckily, there are ways to relieve your stress before it gets too bad. 

Taking little steps to take care of yourself and manage your stress can go a long way. These aren’t major lifestyle changes, either. A lot of stress relief tips just come down to small things you can easily do for yourself in your everyday life. 

Here are 10 stress relief tips to consider using for when your brain needs a break!

1. Squeeze a Workout Into Your Day

When you’re super busy in the middle of the semester, it may feel next to impossible to squeeze anything new into your daily routine. But if you’re feeling stressed, try to find some time for a workout. Exercising and working up a sweat can help you reduce the hormones that are making you feel stressed.

It’s a good way to spend some time by yourself when life gets stressful. Working out is a great way to take care of your physical health as well as your mental health. 

2. Try To Establish A Sleep Schedule

Establishing a sleep schedule at the beginning of the semester is a great way to set yourself up for success right off the bat. All night cram sessions, especially the night before a big exam, are not out of the ordinary for college students, but they’re not always the best move for your mental health. 

If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, you’ll start to see the adverse effects in your day to day life. It’s been found that not getting enough sleep makes it even more difficult to deal with stress, so a good way to mitigate that is to set up a sleep schedule and try your best to stick to it, no matter how much extra studying you want to do. 

3. Watch What You’re Eating

Diet can play a big role in your mental health as well as your physical health. Eating a ton of unhealthy foods can cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash, which can increase your stress. Try to eat a healthy, balanced diet in your day to day life. 

Doing this will give you more energy, which can help you feel less stressed across the board. Feeling good often starts with healthy eating. Your mind and your body will thank you. 

4. Write Everything Down

Lots of people pride themselves on being able to remember everything without having to write a single thing down. But this doesn’t need to be the standard. In fact, it shouldn’t be, especially when your life gets extra busy. Refusing to write down due dates and commitments makes it easy to forget something, which makes it easy to stress out about everything you have on your plate. 

Writing down things like upcoming assignments, meetings, and other commitments makes it way less likely that you’ll forget something. 

Plus, it can help you get a better vision about what you have on your plate. I don’t know what it is, but I always feel a little less stressed when I write out a to do list for myself. It makes my tasks look like a manageable, tangible list, rather than a daunting pile of work in front of me. Writing things down can do wonders for your mental health. 

5. Schedule Out Your Days

Writing out your schedule for your day is another great way to keep your stress under control when your life gets busy. It gives you a better sense of what your day looks like and what you’re planning on getting accomplished for the day. 

Here’s an example: let’s say you have three classes, a sorority meeting, and a ton of reading and homework to do. That sounds like a recipe for stress, right? It doesn’t have to be. Make a schedule for the day outlining when you have your classes and meetings. In the free time in between, schedule out chunks of time where all you’ll do is work on your homework (I’ve found 45 minute blocks are perfect for me).

In between those work blocks, schedule out short breaks. These are essential: it sounds odd, you’ll be way more productive if you give yourself time to take a break. 

Suddenly, you have a plan for your previously stressful day, which makes it feel way more manageable. Scheduling out your day makes your day way easier to tackle. 

6. Don’t Forget To Socialize

Spending time with friends may be the last thing on your mind when you have a ton on your plate, but it can be an important part of keeping your stress down. Your friends can help give you a well-needed support system when your life gets stressful. 

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This doesn’t always have to look like going out and partying. In fact, you can spend time with your friends while still being productive. Make a study group with friends in your major. Get together with other friends who have other stuff to do and have a study party, complete with snacks and fun study breaks. You don’t need to go through your stressful times alone. 

7. Spend Some Time On A Hobby

Spending time on a hobby you enjoy can be a great way to take a break from whatever’s stressing you out. It’s a way to focus on something else for a little bit. 

Play some music. If you’re an artist, draw or paint your stress away. Writers can journal out what they’re feeling. Even something as simple as spending some time playing a game on your phone can go a long way in terms of stress relief. There are countless hobbies you can practice to give your brain a break.  

8. Head Outside For Some Fresh Air

As cliche as it may sound, getting some fresh air can be a great way to clear your mind. If you’ve been cooped up in the library working all day, treat yourself to a nice walk outside. Find some outdoor study spots on campus to give yourself a change of scenery. Explore some nearby parks for you and your friends to enjoy together. 

9. Listen To Music

Music is a great way to escape the world around you, especially when you’re feeling stressed. Make a playlist of your favorite artists, put it on shuffle, and just relax and listen to it play. If you’re looking for music specifically designed to help you relax and focus, try looking on Spotify. There are plenty of relaxing playlists out there that can be perfect choices when you’re just looking to chill out. 

10. Try To Avoid Caffeine

This one might be tricky, but it can go a long way. Caffeine revs you up, which can be great once in a while when you have trouble getting up in the morning, but it’s not great if you drink it all the time. It raises your heart rate and can actually make you feel more stressed. 

Try switching out your daily coffee for water or another drink that has less caffeine in it. 

How do you give your brain a break when your life gets stressful?