STRESS! I know it, you know it, we all know it! Stress is something we all feel whenever we are overwhelmed with the amount of tasks or we have an upcoming deadline. It can be especially brutal during the COVID-19 pandemic when we must stress about our own health, our loved ones or keeping up with finances since I personally know several people struggling to make ends meet. However, we Trinity students, know it by heart! So, that’s why it is essential to have a number of easy activities for you to reduce your stress levels and just relax… 

Meditation 

“hummm… hummmm” We all know what meditation is all about? Sitting completely still, cross-legged, and just relax… I mean, that’s what the Buddhist monks do right? Well not exactly. According to Mindful.org, meditation allows us to lower our stress levels, confront our pain, improve our overall focus, and make us more compassionate with ourselves. There are various techniques and variations to meditation – many of which originated from the teachings of the “enlightened” or the Buddha. Before we delve into the basics, we want to inform you that meditation is not a cure to your problems – it however, lets you rest your mind and to travel to inner-peace. Be aware that meditation requires patience, discipline, and a comfortable place to sit. Now that we have passed the few disclaimers, let us begin with the basics. 

• Find a comfortable place to sit 

Meditation starts with where you sit, preferably somewhere not on top of your bed! Grab a pillow and sit on top of it in the floor; that way you can practise your posture and not fall asleep so easily. Additionally, grab your phone and set the timer to as long as you want (though it is preferred to be 5-20 minutes) and also put on some relaxing music while you’re at it. 

• Concentrate on your breathing 

Meditation is all about focusing completely on your breathing. Take a deep breath from the nose and slowly exhale through the mouth. Keep doing this throughout the duration of your session.  

• Disciplining your mind 

It is usually advised to all beginners to close their eyes so that they can better concentrate in their meditation. During the entire session, your brain will most likely drift into thinking of things like “gosh when’s my HOI essay due?” or “did I do well in that EAP assignment?”, which is fine and frankly normal. However, slowly direct your attention back to your breathing. 

Running 

“Huh huh whoo that’s a good running session” feels good right, to just run several laps? You get pumped and really energetic. Proper running can relieve the pressure of study, and restart your heavy brain with knowledge. You just need to spend 20 minutes every day after work and study to get a strong body, why not do it? Running can not only help control weight, burn fat, help people have a good body shape, but also can increase lung capacity and enhance the function of the heart, and prevent disease. When you realize that running has become a habit, you will feel uncomfortable if you don’t run today – running becomes the best way to release stress.  

This is a screenshot of my running application that keeps records of my runs detail. 

You not only need to keep running, but you also need to find a proper place to run, such as the rubberized athletics track, running machine, and someplace neither too hard or too soft that can protect knees. Moreover, you need to run in the correct way that benefits your body and avoid injury. According to  YouTube channel ‘Global Triathlon Network’, you can learn correct running form.  So, get going!

Take time out 

Do you ever want to get away from work and social life? Have you ever wondered what a day without work and study would be like? Do you want to ‘take time out’ after busy study and work? All the answers must be yes!  Playing a computer game, watching a film which has been waiting for a long time, eating meals of delicious food and so much entertainment that we can enjoy the time without the pressure from outside.

 Watch movies  

You can enjoy movie time, immerse yourself in the story, and imagine yourself as the protagonist, be personally on the scene and experience the story by yourself, this is a good way to relieve the pressure of reality. 

Here are some movies that we recommend 

•Spirited Away 

•The princess Bride 

•Everybody Wants Some!! 

•Moonrise Kingdom 

•Paddington2 

•Mamma Mia!  

•Singin’ in the rain 

•Midnight in Pairs 

•Napoleon Dynamite 

•They Came Together 

Eat delicious food 

When you hear the sizzling sound roast meat and the splashing of the oil, you can forget all tiredness. When you cook something, you can hear the bubbling sound that is the most healing sound. Eating delicious food can rejuvenate you, forget worries and fatigue, and be full of hope for life. 

Sleep  

“Zzzz…” Ahh sleep… quite truly the best… You close your eyes and enter dreamland… But in this tumultuous era of modernisation, it seems we are more than ever sacrificing the time to sleep in order to remain productive. We understand that Foundation Studies can truly take a toll on you, especially with the number of essays and assignments (pro-tip: EAP has a LOT of homework assignments you have to grind to). While it is natural to prioritize on your assignments, sleeping is still very important! According to MyHealthfinder.org, teenagers need 8 to 10 hours of sleep for optimal health. Sleepscore.com also notes that during your sleep, your body will repair and restore itself. Furthermore, a consistent sleep routine also “improves concentration, regulates mood, sharpens judgement, and decision-making”. A well-rested mind will help you solve your problems and thus reducing your stress level. However, a lack of sleep will “reduce your energy and diminishes mental clarity”.  

Connect with Supportive People 

Although “a bosom friend is hard to find”, but you must have some supportive people around you. The supportive people, as the name suggests, are the friends who well know you enough, and they are can be trusted. When you have some problems or secrets you want to tell somebody, supportive friends are yourfirst choice, and can reduce the stress quickly. A message, a phone call, a meeting with supportive people can make you feel a sense of psychological comfort, and you can get some rational advice. Since Trinity College encourages inclusivity for all sexualities and genders, LGBTQ+ students are especially encouraged to seek supportive allies and trusted friends in order to decrease the stress that comes with being queer. This is even more important when you are still stuck in your home countries and entrenched in a homophobic environment. A lot of students in Trinity are very open-minded and even I have found other queer people in Foundation Studies. If all else fails, try contacting the Wellbeing team and they will be more than helpful and supportive.  

So here are all our tips! Hopefully our tips are helpful since we understand how stressful Foundation Studies can be. Anyways, let’s start de-stressing now!