By Madison Lira

Between the crazy climate of Colorado and the stress of midterms coming up for the semester, it is time to crack down and find ways to relieve stress! With the upcoming season bringing sunnier and warmer days, it is critical to find relief from the stress accumulated during the cold winter months.

For many people, it might be hard to get used to the blinding sunlight approaching us soon, especially with daylight savings time quickly approaching. However, spending time outside once the weather becomes much more bearable is an easy way to relieve stress. Activities could be walking around campus and doing assignments outside the Occhiato Student Center (OSC). Having the windows down in your car while blasting music on the way home with a warm breeze can help melt away the wintertime stress.

Another thing you can do to help relieve and declutter your mind is to declutter your room or living space. If your room also looks like a hurricane just came through and wrecked everything, it could be a great idea to tackle one part of the room to try and tidy up. Putting away clothes, fixing your bed and taking old dishes to the kitchen to wash can significantly ease your mind. You don’t have to clean the entire room in one day, just put on some music and clean one portion a day until your peaceful space looks brand new again.

Many of us might hate exercising and getting up when we just want to curl up and binge-watch our favorite TV show, another way to relieve stress. Some form of exercise, though, can help release those endorphins that will help ease the stress of midterms and general life dilemmas. You don’t have to go out and start deadlifting 50-pound weights or run a marathon to get those endorphins running. Instead, taking a yoga class at the CSU Pueblo Rec Center or just walking on the treadmill will help get your blood pumping and relax your mind and body.

At this rate, college students with a caffeine addiction are seen as the “norm” because many of us have to juggle school, jobs, internships, extracurriculars, family life and much more. However, that Starbucks latte or Monster Energy drink might be causing you much more stress than you would care to admit. Caffeine occasionally won’t harm you, but chronic use will raise cortisol levels, causing your stress meter to go through the roof! Making the switch to decaf coffee or limiting caffeine use to once or twice a day can help alleviate those stress levels and let you catch some sleep instead of pulling an all-nighter. 

For some people, however, stress can become a chronic complaint among many people. There comes a point where a walk in the park, doing some light yoga, or even relaxing in bed will not alleviate your stress. Chronic stress could lead to anxiety that interferes with your daily life and always seems present, no matter the situation. If you cannot escape the stress you are experiencing, there are ways to get help. CSU Pueblo has the Counseling Center on the first floor of the Center for Integrated Health and Human Inquiry (CIHHI) building, Room 174, where you can schedule an appointment and receive support for stress-induced anxiety.