All-Natural Ways to Manage Stress This School Year

School can be incredibly stressful. Between juggling a full course load, studying for exams and writing papers, students have a lot on their plate. It can be hard to make time for yourself, but planning stress relief into each day is crucial to avoiding student burnout. With that in mind, here are seven drug-free stress management techniques to try when you feel overwhelmed.

1. Exercise

Exercise strengthens both your physical and mental health. It’s one of the best ways to combat stress. Vigorous aerobic exercise triggers the release of endorphins in your brain, creating natural feelings of euphoria. Exercise also lowers your body’s stress hormones and helps improve your sleep quality. Activities like biking, running and walking can be particularly stress-relieving, but any activity that you enjoy and that gets your heart rate up can be beneficial.

2. Keep a Gratitude Journal

If you’re feeling stressed and anxious, it can be hard to maintain a positive outlook on life. Get in the habit of jotting down things you’re thankful for, and try to come up with at least one journal entry each day. If the idea of maintaining a daily gratitude journal sounds like too much of a burden on your already jam-packed schedule, keep your entries brief. You could write something as short as, “Today, I saw beautiful wildflowers growing by the side of the road.”

3. Spend Time With Friends and Family

When you’re stressed and overworked, your relationships can fall by the wayside. However, don’t underestimate the importance of your support network to help you get through difficult times. For additional stress relief, do something that makes you laugh, like going to see the latest hit comedy. It’s hard to feel anxious when you’re laughing.

4. Don’t Procrastinate

Another smart way to maintain healthy stress levels is to keep up with your task list according to priority. Give yourself realistic deadlines and work your way down the list. Carve out chunks of uninterrupted time to work on the things you need to get done today. Avoid the temptation to multitask, which can make you less productive.

5. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness describes practices that help you live in the moment, such as yoga and meditation. Some forms of therapy can also help you be more mindful and resilient, turning negative thoughts into positive ones.

6. Spend Time With a Pet

Interactions with pets may help release oxytocin, a mood-improving brain chemical. Having a pet can also help you stay active and provide you with a source of unconditional, judgment-free love.

7. Listen to Music

Listening to music can help you loosen up if you’re feeling anxious. Choose a slow-paced instrumental selection if you need to relax and lower your stress levels. However, any music you enjoy can be an effective mood enhancer, especially if you get up and move to it.

Be Healthy and Happy

Although stress is a natural part of life for students, there are many all-natural ways you can help yourself feel better and improve your quality of life. Next time you feel overworked, stop and try one or more of these strategies.

At our beautiful California facility, we offer qualified drug and alcohol addiction treatment for young adults who need help getting control of their lives. Explore Hope Academy’s programming options, or speak to an admissions advisor today.

Ways Young Adults Can Have Fun in Recovery

Many high school and college-aged students begin using drugs and alcohol because they believe these substances make parties and other social gatherings more fun. Once they build up a tolerance, and later an addiction, they may begin to feel as if there’s no way to enjoy activities without being high or drunk. As a result, learning to have fun while staying sober is one of the most common problems faced in recovery.

Life in recovery is a continuous learning process. It’s entirely possible to enjoy life without the crutch of drugs and alcohol, but it will take effort and commitment on your part. Here are some ideas for making sober life feel fully rewarding.

Benefits of Hobbies in Recovery

The goal of recovery from substance abuse is to help you learn to transition from being an active user to having a healthy life in sobriety. You may not know how to live a life that does not include drug or alcohol use as its primary focus. Finding sober activities you enjoy enables you to have a rich, full life and fills up the hours you used to spend feeding your addiction.

When you’re locked in the cycle of addiction, your all-consuming compulsion to use drugs or alcohol robs you of your choices and makes you powerless to decide whether you’re going to drink or use drugs. Once you enter an addiction rehab program and achieve sobriety, your goal changes to developing strategies that can prevent a relapse. Keeping boredom at bay is one of the most effective ways you can avoid letting the addiction win.

Fun Ways to Enrich Your Recovery

• Join a sports team – Most schools have intramural sports teams that welcome players at all levels of ability. Along with more traditional sports such as baseball, softball and basketball, you can probably find opportunities to participate in more unorthodox ones such as dodgeball, kickball and ultimate frisbee. Choose one that sounds enjoyable, sign up for a team and start participating.
• Do volunteer work – Many deserving nonprofits rely on help from the community, and there are few activities more rewarding than volunteering. To find volunteer opportunities you’ll enjoy, visit volunteermatch.org and choose something that aligns with your interests.
• Have a game night – Nothing says fun like gathering for a little friendly competition with a game that tests your knowledge and skill.
• Be a hometown tourist – Contact your local visitors’ bureau to find out about little-known tourist attractions or activities that are off the beaten path. Grab a few friends and while away a Saturday afternoon exploring. Be sure to end your adventure with a stop at a locally owned restaurant for a delicious meal.

Rediscover Who You Truly Are

This list is only scratching the surface of ideas you can try. Experiment until you find the things that make your life in recovery fulfilling. There’s a good chance you’ll discover you can have more fun sober than you ever did when you were dulling your senses with drugs or alcohol.

At Hope Academy, we provide young adults with the opportunity to reclaim their lives from addiction. Contact us for a confidential assessment and to learn about enrollment at our California drug and alcohol treatment facility.

Sober Hobbies to Help You De-stress

Finding a healthy way to deal with stress – both during college and as you embark on your sober future  – is a key component of recovery. Here are a number of sober hobbies that have been scientifically backed to help relieve tension and help you relax. Try one (or a few) and see what works for you. 

• Yoga: Sure, this might be an obvious choice, but it’s a proven one. Yoga teaches us to use the power of breath to stay calm. This ancient practice has also been linked do a reduction of levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and symptoms of anxiety and depression. 
• Coloring and drawing: Whether you invest in an adult coloring book and fancy pencils or spend a few dollars on some white paper and crayons, coloring and drawing is a great relaxation technique that can help you stay in the moment and stay calm. 
• Writing: Journaling or expressing your thoughts and emotions via writing is a proven way to identify any stressors and then let them go. Try it: Take 15 minutes each day and write freely without censoring yourself. 
• Reading: Getting lost in a good book is a great way to escape from the stressors of daily life. Studies show that reading can help to lower your heart rate and ease tension in your muscles.
• Gardening: Digging in the dirt can lower your stress hormones, improve your mood and keep you in the moment. What’s more, being outside in the fresh air and sunshine can boost these effects even more.
• Hiking: Similarly, enjoying the great outdoors and nature via hiking can help reduce stress and help reduce rumination, or obsessing over negative thoughts. And since hiking is an aerobic exercise, you’ll also benefit from the feel-good endorphins released in your body. 

Finding Emotional Support at Hope Academy

A host of emotions inevitably arise as you begin working toward your sobriety goals. The professionals at Hope Academy can teach you to manage these feelings without resorting to substance abuse. To learn more, call 866-930-4673.