With midterms just around the corner, stress levels can get pretty high. When I first started college, I had no idea how to handle midterms, and it completely stressed me out. So, if you’re feeling stressed about midterms, you are not alone. Getting stressed out is normal, but you don’t want to stay stressed out for too long. Stressing out too much can be damaging for your health

Dealing with stress in college can be pretty hard, especially if it’s your first semester away from home. Just remember, you are not alone.

One way to deal with stress is to meditate, do some yoga, or stretch. My RA recommended that I sit down for five minutes in a peaceful, quiet area, and meditate whenever I feel stressed. Honestly, it has helped me relax and feel a lot better. Any time you are feeling stressed, give yourself time to breathe and relax. If you have to go somewhere quiet to meditate, that’s fine! I normally meditate in my dorm room, but wherever you can feel at ease, definitely meditate there. Relax your muscles and breathe in and out.

Another way to deal with stress is to reassure yourself. I didn’t have many friends during my first semester of college because of my introverted personality, so I was pretty much alone. I didn’t have anyone to reassure me, so I had to reassure myself. If you’re in the same situation, just look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that everything is going to be okay. Keep repeating it until you start to feel better. Let yourself know that it’s okay and that it’ll be fine in the end. Reassure yourself that you have nothing to worry about.

Sometimes, getting some exercise helps to take the stress away. You can go for a walk, ride your bike, or hit the gym. Letting your stress out at the gym is a great way to calm yourself down. You can run on the treadmill to help you relax, go swimming, or play a sport. Physical activities typically help to get rid of stress. When you’re doing a physical activity, you lose focus on what you were stressed about and you pay more attention to the physical activity that you are doing. If you think your stress levels are high, go for a jog or a walk to clear your mind. Clearing your mind helps to reduce stress levels, and it helps you to focus better.

When in doubt, sleep. Whenever I’m extremely stressed out, I either take a power nap or I go to bed early. When I’m fully rested, or no longer tired, I feel as though I can tackle anything I set my mind to. Having a good night's sleep will reduce stress levels and it will help you feel prepared to take on the day. Whenever I take a nap or go to sleep early, I always wake up rejuvenated. No matter how busy you are, or how stressed you feel, take a 30 minute power nap to relax and let go of the tension. Sometimes, more sleep is what you need to get through the day. Having a good sleep will help you feel relaxed and ready to tackle those midterms.

Hopefully, these tips will help you to relax. Remember, in order to pass your midterms, your head needs to be in the right place, so take some time out of your day to relax and take care of yourself.

My name is Linda Tran. I'm 24 years old from Boston and I'm majoring in Marketing with a concentration in Social Media at the Southern New Hampshire University. A fun fact about me is that I learned coding and HTML at the age of 11.