Look, as a college student, I am stressed about 25 hours of the day, 8 days a week. Seems impossible? Exactly. On top of that, as a dual degree, who works part-time, and also has an internship, it feels like my life is spiraling out of control sometimes. There is only time to do work, and never any time to relax! However, as someone who took 21 credit hours last semester while working, it was definitely an eye-opening experience on how to make time to de-stress. After many mental breakdowns, I finally figured out what was working for me. Let’s get into it.

First and foremost, not everything will work the same way it does for me. We are all unique, and it is up to us to figure out how we can best de-stress. It is important de-stress and relax for many reasons. Many of these being ways to prevent breakouts, hair loss, tension, and mental breakdowns!

Stress can easily cause you to have a stubborn acne breakout. That is a good way to judge if you are doing too much and just not enough for yourself. Everyone usually has a specific stress acne area, and I can say with confidence mine is always my chin! When I take the time to do self-care, I am able to minimize that.

Along the same lines, I can say from experience that lots of stress can also cause your hair to fall out. I am 21 years old, I shouldn’t even have those issues yet, but alas, my stress meter is bursting when my hair starts to fall out!

Lastly, stress can obviously build tension in your muscles and cause lots of discomfort. There is no need for that, so let’s just relax! Here are some of my favorite ways to de-stress. Take what works for you, modify that, for find something else. Just get your self-care in!

1. Watching one of my favorite movies with a glass of wine
2. Spa day at home! (face mask, sugar scrub, nail painting… the works)
3. Drawing, reading, or anything else that is relaxing yet stimulating of the mind
4. Hanging out in a coffee shop with nothing to do… as a college student this is a rare, but oh-so appreciate one
5. Yoga, skating, or another physical activity that I ACTUALLY enjoy

Well, those are my top 5! I hope these inspire you to find your own ways of de-stressing. Tomorrow is a self-care night for me and my boyfriend, and I couldn’t be more excited after these hard weeks. We will be watching my favorite movie and doing face masks!