One of the things I’ve always struggled with when returning to university, and especially when I started my first year is getting distance from the campus environment.
A campus really can be its own complete community, and if you’re living in residence, there’s not necessarily going to be an excuse for you to leave. The campus experience can be very immersive, but when it’s so tightly connected to school, it can be really important to get distance from it and all your school related problems.
Here are some tips on separating yourself from the school environment and to get some new perspective on your problems.
Go for a walk
Fresh air can be an amazing way to clear your head, although this is of course weather permitting. If it’s pouring rain or -28 degrees, a walk in the fresh air isn’t always the most realistic way to distance yourself from your problems, but on a nice day it’s an easy way to get fresh perspective.
Even just 30 minutes away from your work will help you relax and focus better when your back, letting you tackle your problems more efficiently.
Exercise, in general, is a great way to destress. In the warmer weather, consider turning your walk into a jog, or checking out a local gym.
Going for a walk, or going out to exercise, helps to destress your entire body, improve your perspective, and your overall health.
Go grocery shopping
The key idea here is to get something done.
Go grocery shopping. Clean your kitchen. Make your bed. Do some laundry.
All of these are mindless tasks that will hopefully give your brain a break for a while, but still come with a very nice sense of accomplishment when you get them done.
Cleaning your kitchen may seem like an annoying task, but you’ll feel good about yourself when you get it done, and you won’t feel like you’re wasting your time when you’re taking a break.
When you have a lot of school assignments due, you may feel like you need to spend all your time working on them, but it’s important to give yourself breaks. If you have 5 minutes, make your bed or pick a few things up, if you have an hour, go pick up some groceries.
Join something
Joining something, like a club around campus, can force you, at least on the occasion, to get out and do something. Joining things on campus is a great way to get accustomed to the university environment, and to make friends with other university students.
There’s also probably tons of events going on around campus; presentations, guest lecturers, social events, and these can also be a way to force yourself to take a break. As well, chances are there are even more events going on in your local community or city. Find something that interests you and check it out. Grab a few friends if you like, but this is a great way to experience the larger community around your campus and it forces you to leave the school environment behind for a little while.