As we come to the end of our first quarter this Fall 2020 school semester, it’s important to remember that whenever things get too busy or too stressful, there is always someone for you to talk to, and a way for you to de-stress. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any suggestions, concerns, or comments that you think may be vital to the Board of Trustees and the school president. Whenever I become too overwhelmed with classes, home life, or anything else, I use mechanisms to help me relax and control my stress. Here are a couple of tips that I personally use during times of stress.
Lauren Hassen, Student Trustee
which boost mood.
The first tip is exercise: going for a walk, doing a couple of jumping jacks, or even aerobics usually helps me. Exercising will help you elevate your heart rate which will make you naturally release endorphins. I think most of us can agree exercising is a win-win because releasing endorphins makes you feel happier and less stressed, and most of us have been snacking during the majority of our quarantine, and want to shed some of those “pandemic pounds”, as they say.
A second tip is listening to instrumental music. Listening to genres like classical, lofi, or jazz is a great way to relax your mind while studying and even helps with memorization skills. Instrumental music is a wonderful way to help you concentrate on your school work and let your worries drift away as you focus on the sounds of the music. Here are a couple links to some Spotify playlists that may be useful to you during times of distress or during times you need to focus:Lo-Fi, Jazz, Classical.
The last tip is taking time to speak to someone you trust in about how you feel and what is making you feel this way, and just being completely transparent about your emotions. Sometimes, we need to vent and find solutions to what may be affecting how we feel. Confiding in a family member, significant other, best friend, or even staff and faculty at Moraine Valley can truly make a difference in regards to your mood.
I hope that these tips can assist you whenever you feel emotionally distressed. Please continue to do your best in your work, eat well, get enough sleep (7-8 hours straight), and take care of yourself. I know during a time of unknown we can feel like there is no right way of compensating for how we feel, but in all honesty, we just have to try our best. There are plenty of other techniques you can use to help yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed or displaced, so if you have any tips you would like to share after reading this and would like me to share it with others, please contact me on my Instagram account which can be seen here.
Lauren Hassen is the 2020-21 Student Trustee. She can be reached at hassenl2@student.morainevalley.edu.
