We’re at a point in the semester where everyone is stressed out and is just trying to crawl their way to Thanksgiving, only to have to come back and deal with finals. Until then, how does one deal with the stress and feeling of being overwhelmed?
One way to de-stress is to get some much needed sleep, but we all know that you can’t just sleep your problems away. It may make you feel better for a little while, but it probably won’t fix everything. Aside from sleeping or napping, you could exercise; but to some people, that might be more stressful than whatever is going on in their life because, let’s be real, while few people exercise for fun, it may take your mind off stuff for the time being. Another suggestion you can find in any bookstore, Walmart or drug store are those intricate coloring books. Sitting down and doing nothing but color for a few hours can help to get the wheels turning in your brain, even if it’s as simple as coloring. Take this from experience: I’ve sat down for a handful of hours coloring before, and it really does help.
For the more social stress relievers, every Tuesday at 7 p.m. under the escalators on the second floor of Baker is the How-To Series. You can find the craft in the weekly email from the Campus Involvement Center at the bottom of the email. The other craft night is on Thursdays at 9 p.m. inside of West 82; they send out an email every week through Housing and Residence Life. For both of these amazing nights I suggest getting together some of your best friends and getting there early so you can get the supplies that you want. They are both a very fun time and I don’t regret going to either of them. The events are free and as long as they have enough supplies, anyone and everyone is welcome to come. I would give both of these nights a try, and I guarantee your stress will melt away.
Exams, friends, being homesick and worrying about the week ahead is never a good combination for anyone, especially if you’re far away from home and don’t have anyone to vent to. Find that one good friend that you can go to when you’re stressed and just talk with them. Just don’t make your problems turn into their problems because it’s never good to pass on your stress to someone else. They have their own issues to worry about.
Rachel Laher is an undecided freshman studying at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Rachel? Email her rl218617@ohio.edu.
