Stress Stinks!
Perhaps one of the most difficult problems students have is stress, especially here at Berkeley. Our lives are seemingly plagued with never-ending midterms, papers, meetings, and readings. But wait! There is a way to handle it. In fact, there are many ways to handle it, depending on which works best for you. When I spoke with my friends about how they manage their stress, their responses ranged from watching TV for an hour (but no more!) to going to the gym. I personally like to take a short nap (20-40 minutes). When I wake up, this leaves me feeling refreshed and reenergized—after all, what use is studying when your brain is swimming with everything you have to do for that week?
Take a deep breath, and give some time to yourself. If the stress you feel is physical, try squeezing the pressure points between your thumb and pointer finger on your palm (great for headaches). You could also press the spot on each side of your head about one inch above your ears. I read somewhere that tensing your body all at once—every single muscle possible—and then relaxing after 10 seconds or so feels nice as well. I would also suggest studying with a friend who is skilled at massaging (anyone willing? Haha.). Also, it helps to talk to someone about it, whether that is your health worker, your parents, your siblings, or your neighbors. When I feel overwhelmed, I often call my friends, because they are going through the same pressures of college life as I am. There is something magical about complaining together—not only does it make you feel better to know that someone else is out there with you as well, but it helps to verbalize your thoughts. Just know that it will not help to put things off any longer than your mini break. This will make your stress level much worse (believe me). I hoped reading this helped, and remember, we do have an email address!