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Picture of the Green in the winter

It's no secret that there's a lot of stress to go around at Dartmouth, and on college campuses in general. Between assignments, extracurriculars, social obligations, and career-planning, college can certainly be a stressful time. In this post, I want to share some strategies I've used to manage my stress while at Dartmouth,

Over my few terms here, I've discovered the importance of cutting yourself off from work. When there's always a reading to do, midterm to study for, or application to finalize, it's very easy to spend all of your free time working and getting ahead on all of your work. For me, blocking off specific times to do absolutely no work has been incredibly helpful; this strategy both gives me time to enjoy myself, and ensures that when it is time to work, I'm well-rested and more efficient. Typically, I'll cut myself off from work around 7 or 8pm every night; this ensures that I get lots of work done in the morning, and have a calm night to myself!

Another strategy is putting more personal stake into your assignments. For example, if I have to write an essay in a class, I will put in effort to select a topic that I am genuinely interested in. By incorporating an aspect of 'fun' into my work, it helps to remove lots of the stress associated with completing the assignment.

Additionally, Dartmouth's rural environment is very conducive to stress relief. Getting outdoors is critical to a clear mind, even if that means just taking a walk around the Green. Being able to step outside and be surrounded by nature has been really helpful to stay grounded and mindful. 

Finally, using the Student Wellness Center! Located in the library, the center just recently opened; it includes spaces to relax with tea, massage chairs, and sun lamps to help students unwind. Making time to spend in this space and spaces like it is crucial; sometimes all it takes is inserting some 'slow-living' into our lives in order for us to appreciate everything we had. By using these spaces Dartmouth offers, I am trying to cultivate ideas of 'slower-living' into my life so that I can remain mindful and content with the amazing opportunities and moments happening around me every day. 

Everyone deals with stress differently, and everyone will feel stressed at College; it's important to figure out what works best for you to deal with this stress. Dartmouth certainly has many resources to help students unwind, but I've also found that just creating 'me time' is an effective way to relax. And while there's lots of stress at Dartmouth, there's also an equal amount of fun to be had!

 

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