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It’s true that humans are the only animals on earth that can think critically about the future. In this way of thinking, we have been able to accomplish many things in our lives like establishing cinema schedules, preparing for birthday parties, or simply passing a thesis paper in order to graduate in college. But because of this process, we have been unconsciously creating a byproduct called stress, which can be either good or bad. The good side of stress is that it can help us protect ourselves by engaging us in a flight-or-fight mode. The bad side of it is that it can make us , humans, worry about something that is not even life-threatening at the moment. Unfortunately, we are the only beings destined to feel this way and we call it anxiety.

Because of this, we have been figuring out how to handle stress in numerous ways but we can’t seem to find the right method. Well, as a freshman student in UPLB, I have figured out at least five (5) things that can help me relieve stress. After living for about four (4) months in the university, I have found some methods that let me chill easily like a breeze.

1) Enjoy the little things.

When you’re in the phase of mentally breaking down, just follow these simple steps. First, forget everything that you know. Bury all those negative thoughts and just be still and silent for a moment. Observe your surroundings, the birds, the sky, the cars that pass by on the road, and even the ants that start to live on the food that you left on a table. Then, you can feel yourself transcend in another dimension called “peace.”

2) If work requires too much upkeep, just sleep.

Obviously, we need some rest in order to accomplish more tasks. Sleep is the key for success, and that’s a fact for college students. If you have trouble getting sleep, then try to get medicine for sleep. If it’s Friday night then show your bed who’s boss and sleep ’till you drool on the floor.

3) Do something that makes you happy.

Some people relate this to procrastination, but it’s not bad to do what you want to do especially if you’re really stressed. Relax by simply doing a movie marathon. I would recommend a classic sitcom that I like which is entitled “Friends.” I know it’s a little old but I still receive good vibes whenever I watch the series. Also, try to play games once in a while. If you’re too lazy to go outdoors, then simply play with some game applications like Mobile Legends or Clash of Clans. But if you’re really a true gamer, play Candy Crush.

4) Have a conversation with someone else.

Humans are very social beings. You can’t just isolate yourself in your room filled with anxiety. Try to talk to someone, even through social media. Converse a topic that doesn’t stress you out. You can tell that you’re not stressed if the conversations that you make require little effort. Talking to yourself is also good but make sure that you’re not going crazy.

5) Meditate Anywhere with Breathing.

According to a Buddhist Monk, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, you can meditate anywhere, anytime with just breathing. Apparently, he said people have a misconception that meditation is associated with concentration. He said that it was wrong and simply adds more stress. In his method, simply be aware of your breathing and don’t concentrate. Even with one breath or two can help in relieving stress.

References:

• https://gostrengths.com/humans-are-the-only-species-on-earth-to/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkoOCw_tp1I (Buddhist Monk shares his Secrets of Meditation)

As a development communicator-in-training, we are curious, always looking for the truth and the opinion of others. Hence, performing fieldwork tasks is not as easy as one may think. We are expected to be the communicator of information, prepared at all times to work and serve thee, people. Thus, we encounter stressful situations whenever to meet the criteria and deadline of our requirements. 

However, being stressed-out is not a healthy way of spending your time and dealing with things. Unfortunately, stress is a component in our lives that we cannot escape. As such, we must learn how to deal with it to avoid problems concerning our physical, mental, and emotional health. The best way to relieve stress? Learn to chill out whether it is your free day or your bad day. Remember, it is beneficial to unwind and relax from time to time. So-when in trouble, chill out! 

Treat yourself

One’s health is one’s top priority. Always remember to put yourself first over everything else. Therefore, whenever you felt sad, happy, tired, or stressed, reward yourself with your favorite food, however, expensive and sleep or take a nap. Doing this will alleviate your spirit and will relax your mind to be ready and productive for the next day. 

Be happy

Spend some of your time in doing the hobbies that you missed out on while fulfilling your responsibilities. It is great to do activities that you are interested in, as it helps you boost your confidence, believe in yourself, and make you happy.   

Go out with friends and family

Friends and family are your number one supporter in any of your endeavors. They are the one who comforts you and believes in you whenever you doubt yourself and when you failed to accomplish your goals or responsibilities. Just by being with them, you will always feel happy, content, and at ease. Furthermore, meeting with them will help you catch up on their lives and will help you stay connected with each other even if separated by long distances. 

Exercise

Performing exercises regularly or from time to time is a constructed way of destressing. It does not only help you release your strong emotions regarding your problems but also helps you in living a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, it acts as a buffer against mental disorders such as depression. Hence, exercise can aid in strengthening both your body and mind.

People have their preference or way of destressing, but these are some of the ways that you might consider doing whenever you feel stressed in your life. Keep in mind that our lives do not revolve around our problems. We must value our happiness and learn to have a positive outlook on life. To do this, you must chill out!

Sleepless nights, anxieties and failing scores these are some of the draining reasons why most of the students suffer from stress which common causes are the never-ending requirements and the pressure before and after examinations. These stressed students might end up getting sick, or worse their mental health will be affected. Our academics will constantly demand energy and effort from us in order to hone our capabilities in the fields we have chosen. It is necessary for us to offer most of our time in exhausting ourselves in writing, reading and mastering every lesson discussed in school but it does not restrict us to relax sometimes. We need to learn but how can we continue striving for excellence if our body and minds are deteriorating.

                The University of the Philippines throughout the country is popular of having strict rules and guidelines in passing each course. Iskolars are known for being studious and truly excellent in their academics. On the other hand, those are just perceptions of the people outside the campus, they don’t know that UP students always have time to chill after their brain-wrecking and energy-sucking academic responsibilities. As I come to my last month as a new freshman of the university I have established various ways to relax and unwind after our tiring days.

1^st

                SLEEP – This is the real relaxation after you deprive yourself from enough sleep because of deadlines and exams. This is the best way to recharge and recalibrate our brains for the coming battles hehe. To be honest whenever I feel so tired I always allow myself to have nap and it’s effective.

2^nd

                SOCIAL MEDIA- In spite of the pressing issues and nonsense posts in your news feed, being in social media can lessen the heaviness of our workloads by treating our emotional stress. Give some time to reconnect with your family and friends, from there we can gain more energy that will fuel us to continue fighting. Stalk your crush cHAROT to at least brighten up your day and get some inspiration or laugh on memes LOL.

3^rd

                COMFORT PLACES- Find places that will give you peace of mind to refresh yourself. In UPLB my favorite comfort place is Freedom Park or Oblation Park, I find these spots relaxing because of the healing effect of nature.

4^th

                SHOPPING- Giving ourselves rewards sometimes after tiring acads life through buying items we love to have can motivate us and will relax our minds. In my part since I am not rich, I always go to ukay-ukay stores and I enjoy it so much. OOTD is something you should consider in UP hehe.

5^th

                FOOD- I know it is not only the brains that were emptied but also our tummies. Literally, food is life but to a stress eater like me, I need a lot of food to relax and chill.

There are still many ways for a student to chill, it all depends on our personalities and preferences but what is more important is that we allow ourselves to relax and forget stressful acads temporarily. It’s essential to survive college. Legit.

As a person who literally has no chill, I am having a hard time to write this because I really don’t even know how to chill myself. Every time I do something that entertains me, I get nervous or anxious that I have a schoolwork or org work that was assigned to me and I forgot about it completely. But I guess, I do have some things that help me ease my mind in the midst of a very stressful week.

• Sleep

Okay, very basic, I know. But let’s face it, sleeping is something that most college students lack nowadays, and basically my coping mechanism for everything. If you don’t understand a lesson you are self-studying or a homework assignment, take a nap. Sleeping refreshes your mind and I can assure you that you can think better and feel better once you start studying again.

• Hobbies

In case sleeping didn’t help that much, I find spending time with my hobbies a great way to chill. As a person who is from a musically inclined background, I spend most of my time listening to music, playing instruments, and singing, so at the same time, I am honing and practicing my skills. I also read books and write some literary pieces when I feel inspired. I also try to learn new hobbies because it’s fun.

• Friends and family

Staying connected with your support system is super important! I really want to stress this so much. That’s why I always try to make time meeting with my friends and spend time with my family at home. In the midst of college stress, the only way to vent out rather than social media is the people whom you are close to. Plus, it’s healthier and human interaction??? (yay)

• Netflix, anyone?

This is just my personal coping mechanism to chill myself for the rest of the week. I do watch Netflix all the time, even during hell weeks. Netflix keeps me grounded. I don’t even know anymore. I multitask all the time and I couldn’t even focus anymore if I don’t do two things at the same time. Netflix is my guilty pleasure, and I don’t even know how to function without watching an episode or two from the TV show I’m loving as of the moment.

“Isang buwan na lang.” That’s what I told myself the moment I returned in the university after that pseudo-break. The last month left in the semester would always be the busiest, the most stressful, and the one filled with those ~deadliest~ deadlines. But fret not! Here’s some of my proven and tested tips on how to chill. I do some of this when it feels just so tiriiiiing. But, honestly, doing these after ticking all that boxes in my to-do’s is the best feeling EVER. So go on and take a piece of advice that you think might also be helpful for you. 😉

Allot even just a slight of your time for your hobbies.
Binge watching movies or series and reading a book are the things I love doing the most when I have free time. Doing these things relaxes me as it redirect my focus away from stress and all the acad stuff. Doing these once in a while as a reward system also works! So, go ahead and you do you.

Bond with people you love.
Sometimes, all you need are people whom you can laugh with and share stories with. Giving time for them, the same way you do with academics wouldn’t hurt. Time spent with them are times that are irreplaceable.

Go out and appreciate.
Inhale, exhale. Appreciate the nature you see and feel around; the cool breeze of the wind, the rustling of leaves, and the movement of everything. Take time being completely still. You’ll be able to see how busy and tiring life is, nevertheless, there are also some things which makes it beautiful and worth pushing for.

Recharge yourself completely.
A power nap would be good but it won’t be enough to keep you going in the long run. There’s nothing like waking up in the morning with a full 8-hour sleep. Give it to yourself sometimes, and trust me, the energy and motivation within you will ~overflow.~

That’s it! Just hang in there a little longer, my kapwa isko/iska, the semester’s about to end so give the best that you can all the time. You’ll gonna make it and before you know it, ~chill~ month is real.

The only time we can see the words “College” and “easy” in the same sentence is when the word “isn’t” is in the middle.

Life in college, or maybe life in general, is never as organized and peaceful as we pictured it way back when we were just kids. As we grew up, we saw for ourselves how chaotic, confusing and sad it can get. This awareness transformed into adaptation. Each one of us developed our own forms of coping mechanism after experiencing downhill moments.

At present, “chilling” is the keyword for actions that somehow uplift our moods after long tiring tasks/exams.

Here are some tips on how to chill that you can do to regain your loss energy (or maybe even spirit/motivation):

#1 The Holy Grail

Sleep is probably the every “run to” of most students after exams/tasks. Not only does it allow you to escape from reality and responsibilities but it also allows you to get back the energy and glow in your face after sleepless nights.

#2 The little things

After exerting sweat and tears for exam preparations and task management, we owe ourselves some treat for these efforts. The little things such as buying your favorite food or drink can also chill the mood of a stressed person.

These are the 2 things I mainly do after a stressful week. Of course as I’ve said before, “chilling” varies from person to person. Some do the things they miss. Some go all out in treating themselves. Whatever they may be, what really matters is that they give us the push we need to get us through the next bulk of challenges that life will throw at us.

Just remember that you only must chill after finishing your tasks/exams because if not, your “chilling” could also mean that you’re “procrastinating”.

Chilling is a choice. You can either have it in the middle of your hell week or choose to save it later after finishing all your obligations. It is like a precious gem anyone could afford but cannot grab at all times.

The Christmas tree near the UPLB gate is almost complete as so the semester is also about to end. It’s the time of the year where students panic and are bombarded with numbers of exercises and exams.

Mid-semester is also done. We had a 5-day break. Good isn’t it? After all these stressful and tiring weeks— after beating myself to loads of school works, I need to rest and chill even for a moment (but also to prepare for the upcoming battles again) .

I am the type who chill just when everything is done– when I don’t have to think and worry about something anymore.

So here are my HOWs on chilling:

Note: LEAVE ALL YOUR SCHOOL TO-DO WORKS FOR A WHILE (if ever there is). DO THIS WITH A STRESS FREE AND WORRY FREE MIND.

first is SLEEP

This, my friend, is the most precious gift you can give to yourself. You need to regain your energy. If there’s no regaining needed because you had enough energy and sleep even with a busy schedule, sleep still. Sleep while you can– you never know what’s coming at you.

I sleep in most of my chilling moments, either I need to regain energy or just stroll in my dreams for a while. As much as possible I aim to sleep for 12 hours– yes it’s tiring but it gives me this happiness and satisfaction.

Give yourself a well-deserved sleep.

second is PLAY

A little fun won’t hurt. Aside from sleeping, let your heart be joyed. Laugh and enjoy your free time. You can either play with your friends, with your pets, or even alone. Find that thing that gives joy to you.

As for me, I always play with my pet. It is the best way for me to unwind. Animals, especially dogs, have this magic that whenever I see them, it’s like they are taking away all my stress and burdens.

And yes, for me there’s only two, however, it’s really up to the person. What’s more important is give yourself a rest.

Know the things that keeps you going. Know the things that energizes you. Know the things that gives you happiness the most.

Chill as long as you could– it’s okay to forget all your worries for a while, but the next day or the next two days or so, get back again on your seat and prepare yourself for a tougher battle with a stronger and much-determined mind and heart.

Life’s demands may be a burden: academic related problems, parents’ expectations, peer pressure, the prying eyes of our neighbors, and many others. However, we should not let life’s dramas to take a toll on us. After a tiresome week (or day), it is essential for us to recharge our batteries. One should not allow his/her life to be a continuous cycle of studies, work, studies, and work again. It is important that one knows how to “chill.” Chilling is similar to the words relaxing and unwinding. Here are the things I do that can help you learn the art of chilling.

The first thing that I do is finding a serene place with good lighting. From there, I bring my favorite book and drink with me. Once I start reading, my focus shifts from the outside world to the fantasy world. All other unnecessary thoughts fade away. My desired tranquility is attained plus, my mind is clear, at ease and away from stress.

The second one is that I watch my favorite shows. When I feel anxious and burnout, I binge watch my all-time favorite animes and tv series. I find comfort and solace just by watching the shows that give me nostalgic feels. Maybe because deep inside, I long for the time where my only problem is how to effectively convince my mom to let me stay up late at night.

The last thing that I do is decluttering. A clean environment contributes to the creation of a clear mind. Since I feel stressed when my workplace is messy, I declutter very often, especially in my dorm. What I do is to get rid of things that are not needed anymore, putting my things in their proper places and arranging my books and notes.

Chilling once in a while is not bad. At the end of the day, you should still do what makes you comfortable. Something that could make you feel at ease is what’s important. Do not stress yourself with little things. Everything else can be worked out, as long as we have the art of chilling within us.

All the drain leads to the ocean…so chill out and enjoy the motion!

Ana Claudia Antunes

Long exams. Scores. Grades.

These are just some of the things that students are thinking about during the semester. I’m never really the type of person who gets pressured with these things. I never really think much about it. I just face the things that are before me so that I won’t think about it anymore. I like to get things done right away because I believe that you should make every time you spend worthwhile.

However, after a long day of study and exams and even work, we all deserve to rest and unwind. As a student, I don’t really have a lot of budget to spend for leisure. Most of my allowance is for my daily expenses such as food, jeepney fare and school needs. So, if I want to unwind and de-stress, here are some of the things that I do.

• Get enough sleep – Reviewing for exams takes up a lot of time especially for sleeping. Based on experience, the best study time for me is before sleeping. So sometimes, if I have an exam the next day, I usually stay up late to study. So, after the exam, to compensate, I get enough sleep and that is one way for me to relieve stress.

• Watch videos or movies – Since I do not get to watch a lot of videos before an exam, or even if I do, they are all educational videos to help me with my review, I spend a lot of time watching movies and my favorite content creators every after exams. Even if I do not have an exam coming up, I always see to it that I do everything that I have to do including school work so I can set aside time to enjoy and spend time on my phone. I usually watch videos and movies before I sleep.

• Eat something special or get a treat – When I get to finish an exam, I like to eat something special or get a treat especially ice cream. Even if the result is uncertain, I know I did everything that I could so I deserve a treat – everyone does. But, do not overspend because you might want to treat yourself again after you get the results even if it is either good or bad.

Studying is supposed to make ourselves successful when the future comes. It is not meant to be a torture for students. Once in a while, we should all get to enjoy and feel like a child again. You will never get the chance to enjoy college if all you do is study and bust yourself up without even taking care of yourself once in a while. Acads is important, but your happiness is too.