Most Relaxing Activities for College Students

Anyone can tell you that college is a stressful time. You’re overworked with studies, exams, papers, projects, speeches, and deadlines with the addition of any external clubs, jobs, community service, or activities you do during your spare time. Needless to say, you’re busy. It may not surprise you then that you may feel stressed and overwhelmed. However, there are ways to reduce this. Check out some of these most relaxing activities for college students so that you remain calm and collected during your college-years. Have fun, focus on your schoolwork, and, most importantly, don’t let the pressure build up.

Meditate

One of the best ways to soothe your mind during a stressful experience is through meditation. Meditation is the technique of heightened awareness and focused attention. This does not involve actively pursuing your stressors to defeat them. Instead, it involves a heightened, active consciousness towards the mechanisms of that stress and how it affects you. Mindfulness meditation is one type of meditation that feeds into mindfulness-based stress reduction which can target certain issues and improve your state of awareness over them.

Yoga

Yoga is another great activity to help destress and refocus. Even if you perform just the basic beginner yoga positions, there are many benefits to yoga on the mind and body. For starters, yoga is a great low-stress exercise that improves strength, balance, and flexibility. You don’t need to be a collegiate athlete to reap those benefits. It also improves sleep quality. Since sleep is one of the most forgettable, yet essential, healthy practices students neglect in college, it’s obvious yoga helps tremendously with that. You’ll notice more energy and happier moods throughout your day.

Watch TV

While it may not seem as productive as mindfulness meditation or morning yoga, sometimes all you want to do after a hard test or long paper is sit down, tune out, and watch TV or a movie. There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, that’s why it exists. Watching your favorite television show or movie is a great way to unwind. Sometimes there’s no better feeling than finishing a unit exam only to then kick up your feet, order your favorite takeout, and binge watch that new series everyone around campus is talking about.

Exercise

Finally, sometimes strenuous activity or exercise helps you decompress even more than quiet or calming activities. While it may not seem like one of the most relaxing activities for college students, a long run or intense weight training session may be exactly what you need. Consider the main benefits of exercise. It manages weight, reduces chronic health risks, and strengthens bones and muscles. Not to mention, it improves daily mobility and function, reduces depression and anxiety, and releases serotonin and dopamine to make you happy throughout your day.

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