April showers can wash away stress, relax while you can

Horsch is a first-year news internet major and can be contacted at lauren.horsch@drake.edu

There’s a lot happening. No one can deny that. Between preparing for finals and recovering from Relays, how is one supposed to even think about having a life?

Easy—you really can’t. To me, spring used to mean just goofing off and having fun in the amazing weather. Now, it’s finishing deadlines, scheduling group projects and hoping to God that I don’t have a panic attack at the end of it all. With all of this accumulating, there are some certain steps that all students can take to de-stress and relax:

1. Relax

Seriously, just take about 10 minutes and not do anything. Heck, take even two minutes. Just clear your mind of everything that has been on your mind and breathe. Don’t think about the paper that is due in a few days; don’t think about the issues facing the world. Just relax. It’s easy to get caught up in everything that is going on around you, so taking just a few minutes every day can help.

2. Laugh

Laughing helps everything. Whether it’s a gut-buster or a friendly chuckle, it doesn’t necessarily matter. Just remember to laugh. You could even combine relaxing and laughing into one step by watching an episode of your favorite sitcom once a day. You never know how much an episode of “Arrested Development” really helps until after you’ve finished and feel better than when you started.

3. Personal Time

Take your personal time. People are draining, trust me. You can dedicate so much of your time to other people and organizations, that by the end of the day you haven’t even taken the time to insure that you’re OK. Take the time to sit in your room (or in a special location), to do your own thing. You can study, read a book for pleasure (What? That still happens?), listen to some music or just sit there and stare at a wall. It doesn’t really matter; just take the time to do it.

4. Celebrate

Relays are upon us. Soak it in. What better way to take some time off of doing anything than by celebrating that once-a-year event that is a “distinctly” Drake event.

Not all of these steps might fit your style, but trying new things can be exciting. Just remember that with everything coming up all at once, just have fun with your life. Taking perspective on what is going on can also help. What you’re stressing over tonight might not even be important tomorrow. So, just do your thing and keep on going. The end of the semester is closer than you think it is.