Finals Week Stress Relief

Trying to stay sane during finals may be one of the hardest tasks you will need to undergo within your college career. With all of the cramming of everything you’ve learned all semester in all of your classes in such a short amount of time can really take a toll on a person’s normality. One thing you should remember to do during these stressful last weeks is to make sure to make time to work out. There are so many different types of exercising and working out that have been proven time and time again to reduce stress.

Something as simple as breathing exercises can help you relax and become less stressed. Slow, deep, regular breathing is a sign of relaxation within itself. The deep breathing counters the effects of stress by slowing the hearth rate and by lowering blood pressure.

Yoga is also proven to reduce anxiety and manage stress. When we get stressed out, our body creates a hormone called cortisol. We need cortisol in real emergencies, such as breaking a bone and other severe incidents, but when we are creating it due to stress, there is excess cortisol and this is what can lead to ulcers, high blood pressure, bone density loss, and can also completely mess with your immune system. Yoga helps by the deep breathing that it entails. The specific breathing patterns called pranayama, helps get rid of access cortisol and therefore helps out become less stressed. I previously wrote a blog on my experience of yoga and how challenging it really can be. Check it out and leave me a comment of what you think!

Aerobic exercise not only brings benefits to your body, but also your metabolism, hearth, spirits, and stress levels. The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis and reduce stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Any time if exercise for at least 30 minutes a day can greatly reduce these negative hormones and you can help you see the benefits.

Weight lifting is the same way as other exercises. The heavy strain that you put on your muscles produces endorphins in a fast period of time. The bigger the muscle group that you are working out and the more muscles at once, the more endorphins you are going to produce during and after the workout. Three great exercises are bench press, squats and leg press.

And remember to make time to relax, drink some tea, hang out with your friends or do something you really enjoy doing. You are going to go absolutely insane if you are studying for weeks straight. Sometimes exactly what you need is a laugh or something to help you get in the correct state of mind to continue your fun-filled studies.

Yesterday you said tomorrow

-Eric Hess