Top 10 Ways to Reduce Stress

Due dates, exams, the opposite sex, all-nighters, roommates, pressure from parents, & work are some of the many things college kids all over the planet get stressed out about. How do you handle stress? Do you call up somebody to tell them all you’re going threw just to hear them say “yeah, that sucks”? Do you drink a ton of alcohol? Smoke weed? Hit somebody in the face? Cry? Well, those probably are not the best things to help decrease stress to tell you the truth. Here are College Body’s top 10 ways to reduce stress in a little bit of a healthier way.

Sometimes, when I get stressed, I sit in the dark & eat chicken wings..

1. Sex– Having sex reduces stress tremendously.
2. Exercise– Sometimes when I get really stressed, I make a bad ass playlist for my ipod, and go workout. Sometimes I pump massive iron, and other times I’ll go shoot hoops (outdoors if I can). This ALWAYS helps me distress. I actually got into working out because I got my heart broken, (sad, I know) and use to get so stressed out and upset that the only thing that made me feel better was HEAVY weight training.
3. Laughing– Another thing I do when I get stressed is call my little bro, Connor. Connor is a goofy kid that enjoys my jokes, and tells some good ones himself. He for real makes me LOL. After a couple minutes of shooting the shit with him I always seem to feel a little better.
4. Decrease Caffeine Consumption– Chill out on the Mountain Dews & coffee for a couple days. Increased caffeine = increased stress
5. Yogi Bedtime Tea– You can get this at a store like Whole Foods, GNC, or the Vitamin Shoppe. It is great to relax you before you go to bed. If you are REALLY stressed, take 3-4 bags at once to cause an effect similar to a low dose Xanax
6. Green tea– When I was brainstorming ideas for this blog, I asked my bro-in-law Jade if he had any ideas. He told me green tea contains theanine which increases alpha waves in brain, and when I looked up what alpha waves were, it said they help your brain relax. Increased alpha waves = decreased stress.
7. Slow Walk– Slow walking has been shown to decrease stress, especially in nature. If you have a nice campus to walk around, this may be something you are interested in.
8. Massage– Anybody who has ever got a massage knows how relaxing it is.
9. Sitting in a Sauna
10. Hot Shower-3 minutes of hot water, one minute blast of cold (always end in cold)

These have all been discussed with the CB Science Team, and are supported by research. However, I know from experience that all of these things reduce my stress levels. We are all different, so I would love to hear how you decrease your stress! Leave a comment on this blog or email me at CollegeBody@gmail.com.