Being a student is a part of everybody’s life. No matter what your interest is, you have to study at some point. Studying can be a very stressful activity, though. There is often a lot of pressure to perform at your best all the time. There are also huge volumes of work and stressful deadlines to cope with. When studying, some people might be tempted to sacrifice the time they used for relaxation and recuperation. The problem with this is that our bodies cannot cope with high stress for extended periods of time. There are a number of things you can do to improve your body’s robustness, like taking supplements or making minor health changes. You can read more about these at Reviewy, a website dedicated to providing you with factual supplement information.
But in any case, you still need to make time for yourself. Believe it or not, taking this extra time can actually boost your studies.
How Relaxation Helps Your Body And Your Mind
Psychologists define relaxation as an absence of stimulation from sources of anger, anxiety or fear. Scientists from various fields have studied relaxation for a number of years and noted that it has a number of benefits. Scientists who measured brain waves while people were relaxing found that their brain activity slowed down. Slower brain waves have been strongly correlated with better memory retention. A few studies conducted also found that students who underwent relaxation techniques had reduced anxiety and a better academic performance on average.
It’s also quite well known that stress can have a number of physiological effects. If a person doesn’t relax, the mental stress is placed on their body for a long period of time. This causes activation of a part of the nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system increases your heart rate and blood pressure, and with time these changes can have long-term effects. Long-term stress also causes the release of a hormone called cortisol. This can actually wreak havoc on your other hormones and your metabolism.
Tips To Help You Relax
Relaxing can take many different forms for different kinds of people. It’s important to find out what works for you and to use it to suit your lifestyle. The following are some tips that just about anyone can use to build a healthy relaxation schedule.
- Do Something You Love
Many people find that they are relaxed after spending some time doing something they love. Doing your favorite hobby can bring a lot of value to your life even when you don’t have the pressures of studying hounding you. Set out a few hours a week to do a non-study related activity that you really enjoy. Even though it’s taking up time, it really will improve your studies and generally just make you feel like you’re enjoying life, which really is the best way to live.
- Try Yoga Or Meditation
Yoga and meditation are proven methods of relaxation. They can help to relieve tension in your muscles too. It is best to take a class on yoga or meditation but there are many self-help resources available on the internet. Yoga and meditation slow brain waves very effectively compared to other forms of relaxation so they don’t require as much time to gain the same benefits. (Imagine that, relaxing efficiently!) They directly counter the physiological effects of stress and have many great health benefits too, like improving sleep quality, improving blood flow to various organs and enhancing the immune system.
- Listen To Music
Taking some time to just sit down or lie down while listening to some of your favorite music can be very beneficial. Music also has a direct impact on brain waves. It is best to listen to soothing and slow music to calm yourself down from anxiety. Faster music can help you to feel more motivated and energetic.
- Take A Long Hot Bath
Submerging yourself in warm water opens the blood vessels near the skin and muscles and allows blood to flow better through the body. This, in turn, reduces muscle tension. It’s better to try not to think about stressful thoughts while in the bath and just let your mind wander so you get a double benefit.
