Aromatherapy

A used up candle I just threw out inspires this post. It had an aromatherapy label on it that I never noticed before, so I guess I went through a little therapy session each of the dozens of time I lit it.

Intrigue led me to look up some aromatherapy information, and I decided I like the idea of it. There is a wide range of candles and oils to choose from and most allegedly serve several purposes, including anti depressant, anti microbial, anti septic, circulatory, digestive, nervous relaxant and a ton more. A few methods exist to make aromatherapy work, too. If you don’t prefer rubbing oils on your body, you can always resort to lighting a candle or burning incense. In oil form you can also eat it. I think the easiest option is to set an aromatherapy diffuser, sticks that sit in oil and diffuse its scent, on a side table and let it work its magic. I suggest looking into this cheap therapy because at the very least you end up with a room that smells good. Maybe that in itself would lift your spirits.

Specifically, I recommend jasmine oil. Several websites give it a five out of five rating on the aromatherapy scale, and it’s listed as a stress reliever. I don’t imagine it would be a very strong or obnoxious smell, and it is a scent easily combined with others.

Test out some scents, try out this really easy fix to feeling stressed after a long day!

Thanks Lehigh InSTALLment!

Lehigh University's Health and Wellness Center puts monthly flyers in the stalls of most bathrooms on campus that offer tips, trivia and facts intended to maintain, you guessed it, health and wellness. This month's InSTALLment included the "8 Time Management Skills for College Students" section found below, and looking over it I decided all of the eight bolded tips can certainly be applied to a broader crowd than just college students.

In fact, I've already suggested a couple of the InSTALLment's ideas as stress relievers, including organization and relaxation. Read through the list of time management skills. If you're not a college student just sub in aspects of your busy schedule where research papers and tests are mentioned.

These tips might seem simple and obvious, but how many of them do you actually live by? I've definitely gone through periods of great time management and others when I just neglect it. So trust me, these tips are worth practicing. Things like cramming and disorganization stress me out as a college student, but I've seen that affect my professors and parents at times, too.

I recommend implementing the "8 Time Management Skills for College Students [or anyone]" for a couple weeks. None should be too difficult to begin, and if it is, you're doing something wrong. After you get the hang of time management, I bet you notice reduced stress and an easier day-to-day routine!

SUDOKO

I'm a huge fan of sudoko as a life saving logic game as of about five hours ago.

I was perfectly fine with waking up for an early flight and excited to get back to school this afternoon. Within minutes of sitting down on the plan I fell comfortably asleep and expected to wake up if just a couple hours in Philadelphia, where I would board a 20 minute flight to Bethlehem, Pa. Didn't quite work out as planned.

I did indeed wake up in a couple hours, but I found the plane in the same spot I left it when I fell asleep. I didn't wake up to the first attempt at take-off, ice being sprayed off the plane or announcements about the delay. At least I got a good nap in. Unfortunately, this delay was just long enough to prevent me from getting the connecting flight to Bethlehem I initially booked. But I didn't mind at this point because I don't mind traveling and I was told I could just get on the next flight out. I did, however, mind when I got off the plane in Philly and realized the next flight to Bethlehem was just over five hours later. I had work to tend to that required notes that were in my room at school, I wanted to catch the Super Bowl, and I just wanted to see everyone I was away from for the weekend. I survived these little bothers, but what really got me was the boredom.

Maybe this doesn't count as an everyday type of stressor, but it was really annoying. After alittle while, I found a little book of sudoko games in my carry-on that had been left there from a previous flight, and I didn't know just how much I would appreciate it at that time. That game of logic actually preoccupied me for hours. It entertained me and distracted me from what would have been frustrating boredom that feel like a huge waste of time. Luckily, I enjoyed my delay of relaxing with a few boards of sudoko. Although it's not really worthwhile productivity, I boarded my short flight back to school quite content.

So. I suggest applying sudoko to stress. At the end of the day just focus on a game, and let me know if it's can be considered another stress reliever. After providing me such joy, I imagine it will be. You can also try solitaire or any other logic game that might provide some calm by distracting you from the day's stress.