Post By: Chia-Chun Liang, Peer Mentor 2022
I personally think one of the most important things in life is to find balance. As international individuals, it is extremely stressful when being in a new place and new culture, no matter whether you are thinking about blending into the new environment or not. Be open to new things, but keep your uniqueness. This will reduce the stress in this aspect. Besides this, the following are a few ways I find helpful to myself to get rid of stress from different aspects in general:
- Nature
Distress must happen in the body and mind. Some ways describe below are mostly for the physical body, and some are for the mind. But connecting to nature is for both body and mind. Getting tired of sitting in the lab or classroom all week? Try some outdoor trails, state or national parks, and beaches (can’t tell other people that you’ve been to California if you’ve never visited at least 1 beach here!). Research already shows that some chemicals released from trees can help increase happiness for humans. Whenever I feel stressed from work or life in general, it’s always so relaxing to give myself a break, and then come back after I reset my mind and body. Working efficiently is more important than working long hours.
- Professional help
There are many reasons to get people stressed, and a lot of times people get stressed for the same reasons, repeating patterns. It is helpful to let a pair of fresh eyes examine what are the repeating patterns, and jump out of them. Some people might think that seeking a doctor or therapist for this means they are “sick”. It’s not true. No one is perfect, and we are all trying to be better people. Professionals with knowledge and training can help with that since sometimes friends can be repeating their own patterns too. And also, I would like to not dump too much negativity on friends.
- Exercise
Exercise is a good way to release tension from the physical body. There are many negative influences that stress can lead to on our physical bodies. For example, loss of weight, loss of appetite, or loss of sleep. Sometimes when I get too stressed, I lost many days of sleep and it definitely won’t help with my work for the next day. In this case, I’ll usually go for some exercise, make myself tired, and then I’ll get a good sleep.
- Self-integration and mindfulness
Last but not least, in my opinion, it is important to be aware of what are the reasons that are causing the stress, and what are the emotions or reactions you are bearing or having in mind. Because once I am aware of them, I can then decide whether I want to keep the negativity or not, and then use my energy on solving the cause of my stress. To complete this step, you’ll have to do constant reflection and integration of yourself. Being mindful is important as well. Because it helps you to identify your motivations for the things you are doing, and then you can decide whether you would like to let stress go, and move on or continue finishing what needs to be done. Mindfulness keeps negativity away.