The Blog We Share in MM199

By Christina Noland That one motivational, meme-filled speech you all know you needed but never wanted. https://soundcloud.com/christina-noland-680718533/managing-stress-with-pro-gamer-panda/s-MkQDcYdKXPo [Graphic by Christina Noland]

By Christina Noland Your friends know what it’s like to be given an assignment and feel alone while working on it. If you’re lucky and have had a few classes with a friend by coincidence, you’ll know the difference in what it’s like to have someone there to help keep you on track. In reality, the pressure of assignments is still 100% each student’s responsibility. But the knowledge that someone else you know is sharing your burden is comforting. Ask For Help If you have someone you trust that will look over a paper or give you direction on an assignment, you have someone to fall back on. You won’t feel alone. You need to ask for help if you need it. Additionally, being around close friends inherently lowers stress. Not only will you have an extra pair of eyes on your homework, you’ll be much more productive as well! Keep a Friendly  Work Space Working a job can be a huge stress in your life but having friends in your corner help tremendously. A st...

By Christina Noland According to an online poll from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 14% of people use exercise to regularly cope with stress. Others reported sleeping, watching TV or listening to music. But, wait, I’m too lazy to exercise or leave my den. When you are super stressed and want a quick way to calm down, tricking your brain is going to be the way to go. Find A Ball Find a small ball with bounce to it. It can be a tennis ball or a squishy stress relieving ball (which would serve two purposes). Chuck the ball at the closest open wall, catch and repeat. Why do this? Repetition is key. The sound of the ball hitting the wall will lull your brain to sleep without causing drowsiness, especially if you’re super anxious. The small bit of exercise in bouncing the ball will be distracting enough to reset your brain as well. If your ball happens to be super squishy, you know what to do. Talk To Yourself (Obviously don’t do...

By Christina Noland I know I just mentioned eating cheese to reduce stress and aid sleep. Put that at the back of your mind and focus on what you should be eating throughout the day to help keep stress at a minimum. Stress eating usually translates into sugary food, like cookies, or comfort food, like chips or bread. These foods are good if you want to calm yourself down because they boost serotonin and melatonin levels. But they won’t help you focus. Junk food will make you drowsy and make it even easier to put off working, doing chores, or completing projects. Essentially, comfort food at the wrong time is actually stress inducing in the long run. Here are some snacks that can help you keep focus and alert throughout the day while keeping your stress level low. Berries Blueberries in particular have been connected to reducing stress related to PTSD . They boost serotonin levels and have natural sugars to help keep you awake if you feel drowsy. F...

By Christina Noland Stress is part of our everyday lives. From unexpected car trouble to family drama, stress always has a way to make itself known. While everyone has their own threshold, stress affects the entire body, mentally as well as physically. Every college student should have a game plan ready for when the day doesn’t go their way. Here are some tips to consider the next time stress or anxiety rear its ugly head. Take Naps Stress affects your productivity as well as your sleep.  Take some hints from your friendly neighborhood cat and nap to reset your day. Taking short naps to combat stress is a great way to keep yourself alert and even improve your memory! Don’t take naps too often! Sleeping too much throughout the day will throw off your regular sleeping cycle. Trust me, I’ve done this plenty of times. Eat Cheese? So what happens when you laze around too much or are too overwhelmed or anxious to fall asleep? Not a problem. Just go eat som...