It is no surprise that college can become very stressful at times. Whether it is stress from an overbearing homework assignment, frantically cramming for an 8a.m. final, or fighting with your current girlfriend/boyfriend it inevitably happens to everyone. The key to dealing with that stress is finding a place "your special place" to unwind and let your hair down. When I was going to TTU there were 2-3 places I could always go to unwind. One of those spots was the gym of course! Exercise always helped me relieve stress and get my mind back on track. There have been numerous research studies that have proven this to be a successful way to relax and reduce stress. Another favorite spot of mine was almost anywhere I could hang my hammock. TTU had a great spot for this on their 300+ acre research farm, it was a small picnic area at the entrance to the facility with beautiful tall oak trees, and cattle in the background. My all time favorite spot though was a hill on the back of that farm where you could look down across the fields and see cattle grazing at sunset, or see the rows of field corn waving in a slight wind. This was "MY SPOT" and it never let me down, when something was troubling me, or when I was arguing with a current girlfriend I would hop on the "Gator" (a utility type ATV that we had on the farm) travel across the pastures and perch myself up on top of that hill to watch the sunset for the evening and clear my mind. After watching the sun paint a beautiful picture across the sky as it was settling in for the night I would say a little prayer and almost instantly I would begin to feel better and whatever was ruffling my feathers at the time would drift away.
A relaxing spot can literally be almost anywhere, as long as it helps you relax. The spot could be a quiet corner on the third floor of the library where you put your headphones in and forget about the day. It could be a blanket laying in the soft grass of the quad courtyard as you read a favorite book or watch the squirrels run from tree to tree. It does not matter where it is as long as it is YOUR spot and it helps you unwind. College is to short to sit there and let the stress carryover day to day and make you miserable! Most people only get one chance to make the most of their time at school so why waste it by overly stressing, find your spot, relax, and then move on to more enjoyable things with your new state of mind. I hope this small piece of advice helps one of you out there like the many times it has helped me.
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