The Best Ways to Relax While at University

Week 4 and 5 are a really tough time for me at university. It's the time where I start to get homesick, the novelty is wearing off and the deadlines are starting to approach. I thought I'd take a moment to get down some of the things I do to help me relax, de-stress and stay energised at uni, in hopes that it might help some of you! Second year work load has hit me like a ton of bricks, I've definitely been focusing on these myself recently. So with that said, here are some of the best ways to relax while at uni.... (or just in general)

     Tidy your room and make your bed - When you wake up get up and make the bed, this will not only quickly start your day with some movement but can stop you wanting to get back into bed. This is also a good way to get your brain into a good mindset, it's quickly given a task and even though it's a small task, once completed will give you that sense of achievement setting you up in a positive mindset for the rest of the day. Tidying my room helps me clear my mind and feel a bit more on top of things in general. It also makes your own little space feel a bit nicer to be in. Hanging up your clothes (or getting the dirty ones into a basket), and sorting out your papers, makes such a difference!

      Decorate - While you’re in the tidying mood, get some cute decorations. I know fairy lights are a bit basic, but honestly photos, cute pillows and fairy lights really made me feel better when spending a lot of time in my room. Before going to university, I thought, fuck it I’m only there a year. But it’s a tough year so anything that makes you enjoy spending time in your room is fab.

      Do some exercise - This gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing around your body faster and more effectively. As well as obviously being good for you, working up a sweat ultimately gets more oxygen flowing through your body meaning you will feel energised, awake, and less stressed! Plus, the endorphin release gives you the feeling of reward and will make you feel good about yourself.

      Have you been doing lots of the same thing? - Sitting or even standing around doing the same or similar tasks can lead to you feeling tired. This is simply because your brain and muscles are bored. Even if it’s getting up and doing an odd job like laundry or washing, the change of scenery, body movement and brain functionality will wake you up and make it easier to focus on the important tasks. 

      Stay hydrated - Obviously this helps your body stay energised, and not drinking enough water will trigger your body to try conserve energy, aka make you sleepy! What's more, maintaining a strong level of hydration helps the body flush toxins that may build up or otherwise remain in your system making you feel healthy and look healthier as staying hydrated promotes better, clearer skin. 

      Explore - This is the biggest one and has made such a difference to me. Until I decided to change, I was spending every day just walking to and from the university, only going into the city to go clubbing and spending the whole weekend hungover. But with my flat mates and some of the other girls, we have made a real effort to go out and explore the city. Whether that’s going to the union bar for a drink one evening a week, doing our work in coffee shops in the city, going to events in the city, trying out different, unique and independent restaurants or going shopping in the local market. Leeds is a lot bigger and more exciting than where I grew up, so it’s been so good exploring the city we now live in. It’s also a good excuse to try something new when someone comes to visit. Every time Sam visits, we try different restaurants, especially local Thai and Vietnamese places because they’re our fav!

      Even if to you, exploring means just going to a different club each time, rather than going to Pryzm every Saturday, that’s good enough for me.

      Actually go to your lectures - I know this is a bit rouge and I’m not trying to preach about having to attend every single one, especially if you’re hanging out your ass. But, from experience and talking to others, once you start missing lectures there’s no going back. And I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel a lot better by getting up and leaving the flat rather than spending the whole day in bed. Sometimes.

      Have a laugh - This obviously makes you happier immediately, but on top of that, laughing is a great way to get your body energised, it boosts the release of endorphins and engages a lot of muscle groups so gets your blood flowing, increasing oxygen levels in your body, making you more energised. 

      Get those cogs turning - Studying one subject at uni can lead to your brain getting used to this and used to its day to day stimulation. Working your brain in a different way not only breaks this routine helping you focus where you want to, but also keeps the areas of the brain that may not get used active and healthy. Whether it’s a crossword or some mental maths, exercising your brain keeps it healthy and will make you feel more awake.  

      Essential Oils - It's been scientifically proven that citrus based smells and scents can make you feel more awake and boost productivity. It doesn't matter if it’s a nice citrusy diffuser or just some fresh lemon in your water. Get those fragrances flowing.

      Get a routine and STOP NAPPING! - Having a regular time to go to sleep can be just as effective as the sleep itself. If you pair this with a regular time schedule for eating it can make your body prepared to wake up and get up before you've even gone to sleep!

      Now this is a hard one for me to write about and is very hypocritical. Despite not going out last night, didn’t get up till 12:45 today. Hopeless. And I nap at least every other day. So… this is more of a ‘working on it’ situ, but I’m trying to cut down on naps and get up at the sameish time each day. If you don’t have anything until 13:00, try at least getting out of bed at a reasonable time rather than lounging around till 11:45. I mean at the weekend, that might be a bit unrealistic but at least during the week or days when you haven’t gone out, try and get up and get on with it. Again, leaving the flat is always a good thing, I promise.

      That is everything I can think of for now, I hope some of these are helpful! University can be a really stressful, tiring and honestly, emotionally draining time. So anything you can do to relax is brilliant. I want to do a quick shout out to Sam, who helped write this post with me after dealing with an extremely stressed, exhausted fresher last year. I'm second year now, but still turn to him for advice when I'm feeling stressed. So thanks Sam! 

     If you have anything you'd add, let me know in the comments below!

      

     As always, thanks for reading :)

     Laura x

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