Do you ever feel yourself stressed beyond belief?

In the final weeks of the semester where work keeps piling up, it is especially easy to feel stressed and filled with anxiety.

Let’s face it; who doesn’t want to exceed and meet their semester long goals?

While you are working, stressing and worrying, I have come up with a few tips and tricks I’ve had up my sleeve that are bound to work for you because I swear by them.

Of course, the first tip I’ll share with you is to indulge.

Green tea and chocolate have been known to give anti-stress qualities, and they are my go-to items.

Green tea is a source of L-Theanine, a chemical that helps relieve anger, and chocolate regulates the levels of a stress-hormone called cortisol.

So while these substances have substantial qualities to relieve stress, I also believe that splurging on your favorite snack after a stressful day can instantly make you feel better.

You can also relieve stress after a long day of class or tests by going for a walk or going to the gym.

Exercising is proven to up your endorphins and boost your mood.

Honestly, after a hard day there is nothing I love more than sweating out my problems, and it’s contagious!

The feeling of relieving yourself of the stress through physically working it out helps to give you a feeling of accomplishment, which is much needed after a day where you felt like you were knocked down by your workload.

If you feel a little too worn down for a workout, take a break!

Drop everything you are doing and take a nap, or even take a Netflix break and watch your favorite episode of your latest obsession.

Your best work is going to be done when you are relaxed and happy and not when you are stressed and feeling rushed.

Give yourself a decent amount of time to get your assignments done so that you aren’t rushed later, and also plan for time to give yourself a break from life to unwind and focus on the next task at hand.

If you are feeling an anxiety or panic attack coming (it happens), stop what you are doing, close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

This trick is a life-saver, especially when you feel your body start to shut down from being overwhelmed by the stress.

Focusing on something as simple as breathing can ground you and bring you back to the peace you deserve.

Finally, visualize yourself succeeding. When you are at your absolute highest stress level, write a list of your goals and write down how it will feel once you conquer each and every one of them.

Visualize yourself acing that final, nailing that paper or landing that internship.

Visualizing yourself succeeding can give you the confidence you need to have the energy and happiness to get your work done at a completely stress free level.

And don’t forget to be happy anyway because as it turns out, studies show that just smiling and remembering a happy moment from the past can drop your stress level by more than 40 percent.

Maria Baldwin is a sophomore mass communications and public relations major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or mjbaldwin@eiu.edu.