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Once they begin this journey, many young adults have their first encounters with true stress and the damage it can do to the unwary college student. Lack of sleep, social expectations, and important examinations all increase this level of stress, but luckily, there are practical ways that students can relax, making their college experience more pleasant and rewarding. Students can practice doctor-recommended mental and physical exercises to relieve their stress.
Mental exercise is the first step to achieving relaxation from stress. With hours of homework, studying, and classes, students may find it difficult to disengage their brain and relax. According to a recent study, taking a mental break from homework or studying several times per hour could decrease your level of stress and actually allow you to perform better ("5 Exercises"). There are several ways you can take a mental break, but one exercise is to "Count slowly to yourself from 10 down to 0, one number on each out-breath. Thus, breathe in, and on your first out-breath, say '10' to yourself. With the next out-breath, say '9,' and on down to '0'" ("5 Exercises"). If there is ever a time when you are feeling overwhelmed by responsibility or negative emotion, another exercise that may help you is called the Split-Screen...
To do this, you want to lie down (or sit) and close your eyes. Imagine a large movie screen in front of you with a line cut down the center. On the left half, visualize all of your worries and problems. The point of this exercise is that you should be able to see the problems before you without experiencing them in real life. Once you have done that, look at the right hand side of the screen, and in that space visualize yourself in a pleasant and rewarding situation. Soon the left screen should fade away as you focus on the positive side of the screen and enjoy full, long-lasting relaxation ("The How-to").
Stress does not just create mental turmoil; it can also create physical tension and discomfort. Therefore, physical exercises, although of an aerobic nature, can be another step towards relaxation. The best-loved stress-relieving exercise is probably receiving a massage (Roswell). When that is not available, whether due to lack of finances or something else, try other exercises to relieve tension. For example, Dr. Edmund Jacobson recommended the use of Progressive Relaxation, during which patients would tense certain muscle groups, discover their control over those muscles, and reverse the tension, resulting in relaxation instead ("Relaxation"). Another technique you may use…
