How To Blow Off Steam and Reduce Stress During Exam Season: Student Edition

Welcome to my post #4, I hope you find this post an area to relax, sit back, chill and just read something fun, interesting, and important that will keep you stress-free and motivated. I hope you enjoy this post!

This hardcore grind-time season, February's abnormally cold spells have made their way inside our cozy homes. Last night, when I was walking home from the gym, I was startled by the notion that the reason behind us burning out is not because of the amount of studying we have to do, but due to the discrepancy between our heart and the brain, in this scenario, our brain sends out messages signaling us to keep the grind on, whereas our hearts just want us to slacken up a bit. This leaves us in a dilemma on what we should do now and automatically becomes a barricade in our peak productive periods making us inefficient.

Crammed like inmates at our desks, elbow to elbow, fingertips tapping in unison, the exuberant amount of body heat emanating off our backs filled the air. We start feeling the warmth as we unflinchingly slog through finals this month. This post will be all about 5 ways how you as a student can blow off steam and can let that hideous stress on your poor shoulders fade away.

1. Sometimes you just need a break! Although we feel like studying even when we know nothing is going in our brains we keep labouriously studying, stuffing information, forcing content in our brains, and passive reading at the end of the day is going to be of no use, according to Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky in the book Make Time (one of my personal favorites, I do recommend reading it.) our brains tend to fall into a reading slump and not even a power nap or a small break can fix it. At the end of the day, we all are human beings and require a period of rest that can rejuvenate us and help us get out of that reading slump, which in my personal opinion is a student's worst nightmare, but do not worry I've got you covered. I personally take a huge break by watching a Netflix Series or I sit down, make my place look aesthetic by lighting up scented candles with a magical smell that fills my heart with vanilla and my brain with dark academia themed music, and just grab a piece of paper and start doodling my thoughts and ideas. I normally do this at 12:00 am, because I feel like I'm most creative at that time!

You can experiment with what time works for you and start articulating your thoughts into doodles on paper! A deck of cards has also been a game-changer when it comes to satisfy periods of rest or breaks, I normally watch youtube tutorials on how to perform cool card tricks and just try them out myself, this engages my brain into another activity and the whole idea of this trick is to engage yourself or chanel your thoughts into another activity that you are usually fond of doing.

2. 21 Savage sleek on a beat or country jam, Music works!

Studying with music or just sitting idle on your cozy bed with some nice music in the the background has proven to be helpful, Music has proven to reduce stress levels by calming your nervous system and lowering your cortisol levels, now I do not want to get into the science behind how, but in laymen's terms music helps in releasing emotions, it settles your mind and slows down your pace of doing work, especially in In this day and age where everything is expected or is done fast, music can really help rejuvenate your day as it brings back memories, takes us back to places and times and hence is healing in a way.

Ever listened to a nursery rhyme when you are partying hard at a concert, yes it does ruin the mood, here is something I personally do a lot and do recommend to others as well! I have a Spotify account with different playlists according to the mood and the that I am in, I have a playlist that slows and calms me down, and a playlist to hype me up or energize and motivate me before I start something, Listening to these playlists are what got me through my Arabic exam ;) having playlists according to your moods are a game-changer in my personal opinion. Making playlists on Spotify is also a vibe, and I think you should definitely give it a try!

I have been getting into listening to podcasts lately, and I have found it to be really fun and relaxing, listening to jokes or some advice is a no-brainer, podcasts not only divert your mind from the hardcore studying that you have been doing but also makes you smile after all the whining about how studying is useless you have done all day ;) so grab your headphones and hit the play button on your favorite podcast!

3. Lift some weights or go on a 10 km run

Exercising has by far had the most positive effect on me when it comes to my anxiety and stress levels skyrocketing, for the past few months I have been hitting the gym, lifting some weights, and have also been going for some runs and there is nothing better than a solid workout/exercise session, Now I know I sound cliche here but imagine plugging in your headphones and going out for a 10 km run whilst enjoying the beautiful scenery and listening to your favorite music or a podcast or an audiobook! It is definitely a vibe and I assure you it will reduce your stress levels and anxiety. Exercise not only keeps you away from panic, stress, and anxiety but also keeps you fit at the same time, so in this scenario, you are killing two birds with the same stone ;)

Exercise here also includes playing sports, sports have been close to my heart since the day I was born, a football game with the homies or a cricket match with the street gully gang is nothing but an emotional connection that we feel, sports have been near and dear to all of us since day 1 and it has a 100% success rate when it comes to blowing off some steam. Exercising and playing sports release feel-good hormones knowns as endorphins that result in lowering stress levels.

4. Cooking your favorite comfort food!

Cooking has the capacity to awaken memories since it activates our senses. The aroma of a meal may conjure up memories of your grandmother's home, a favorite restaurant, or a trip. Allowing yourself to be engrossed in these memories while cooking is a relaxing method to reduce tension and improve your mood!

According to studies, people who take the time each day to complete little yet creative projects feel more comfortable and content with themselves. These folks are content with their lives and long for another day. Cooking might be your project. When you make a new dish, you embark on a project that you must see through to completion, so why don't you guys head to the kitchen and cook your way out of stress!

5. Aestheticize or Organize your desk/workspace!

This is by far one of my favorite methods of eradicating stress and anxiety, imagine cleaning your desk, adding vanilla scented candles, a cute pot with a plant to make your desk look greener, warm lighting and your books/stationary and a laptop, organizing your desk is by far one of the easiest things that you could do to potentially release stress, cleaning, and organizing de-clutters your workstation and your mind at the same time, creating the space you need to get off that reading slump which is indirectly increasing anxiety and stress.

Got a lot of stuff on your desk? It may make it harder to do your job. That's because a cluttered environment can make your brain less effective at processing and more prone to frustration. In other words, taking a timeout to organize your space may actually save you time by allowing you to work more efficiently. Extra stuff isn't just messy. It could be holding you back from living your best life and this is where minimalism comes into play, try reducing the number of things you have in your surroundings and on your because objects have the power to rage up that anxiety, hence keeping it clean minimalistic might just be the perfect way to reduce stress!

That's it for today's post, I hope you guys found it helpful and I hope it was worth reading :)

This post has been written on 28/2/22, please do share feedback about the post, stay tuned for more, and show some love by spreading the word about it!

Thanks, Rhythm Doshi