Relieving Stress the Graceland Way

School can be stressful sometimes. Often times, your homework piles up until you feel like your drowning in it. Some stressors you can avoid, and some you can’t. You can avoid some of the unnecessary stress by managing your time carefully, leaving plenty of time to do your work and playing. Luckily there are lots of great ways to relieve stress at Graceland so you can go to school feeling relaxed. Try some of these Graceland offered activities to beat stress.

Go to the MSC

The MSC has pool and ping pong tables for all students to use whenever they want. If you are feeling the effects of stress, playing some pool or ping pong is a great way to forget about all of your worries. Get lost in the fun of friendly competition.

Exercise

Working out is another great way to deal with stress. Whether you’re lifting weights, running, or playing sports you should always try to stay active. Exercise combined with eating healthy and getting 7 to 8 of sleep will help you feel drastically better if you haven’t been able to do all three lately. There are plenty of ways of get exercise at Graceland. You can go to the Fitz, the Hampton, swim in the pool and/or play sports (i.e. intramural, varsity, friendly games, etc.). You can also do cardio kick-boxing on Monday nights and/or yoga on Wednesdays.

Cook

Some people like to eat food when they are stressed, which is potentially unhealthy depending on what they eat and how much. But cooking has actually been known to help relieve stress. After you’re done eating wash the dishes to relieve whatever stress is left over. You may find it to be therapeutic. If you find cleaning particularly relaxing, then go clean your room too.

Dance

Go to Choices on Saturday night and dance the night away. It is very difficult to stay stressed after a night of dancing with your best friends to your favorite music. If it’s a song you like and you know the words to its okay to obnoxiously sing along with the music. What happens at Choices stays at Choices. You can also sing and dance at home or in the car.

Bubble Wrap

Grab some bubble wrap and go crazy! This is a great way to ease your mind and relieve all that pesky unwanted stress. You can find bubble wrap at many locations quite easily, and it’s a good time at a low cost.

Make Music

If you know how to play an instrument, playing music can be a release for your stress. Even if you don’t know how to play any instruments, singing can have the same effect. If you are not into music at all, you may be interested in writing. Writing about your thoughts and feelings can help you to feel better about yourself.

Brandon Christian

Junior, Cheville