8 Ways to De-Stress from Student Loan Debt (1030 hits)
By Daniel Bortz
Rite of passage.
Recent college graduates will soon become familiar with a huge source of stress: paying off student loans. Financial issues are a common cause of stress, which can affect your physical and psychological health. U.S. News spoke to Kathleen Hall, founder of the Stress Institute, and Eve Adamson, author of 365 Ways to Reduce Stress, to identify ways to de-stress from student loans.
Breathe deep.
“When people get anxious, the first thing they do is cut off their breath,” Hall says. Shallow breathing means less oxygen is flowing to your brain, so remember to breathe slowly.
Watch the caffeine.
Too much caffeine will take a toll on your body. “Caffeine revs up your adrenal glands, giving you more of an exaggerated stress response,” says Adamson.
Medidate with your iPhone.
The Insight Timer app lets you choose from eight different bells of varying size and metal compositions, so you can pick the sound most soothing for you. You can also select a relaxing background image from your photo library to run with the app.
Listen to music.
Pleasant music can increase the levels of endorphins and serotonin in the body. Music with a fast beat is stimulating, and music with a beat similar to a heartbeat can be very calming. “A lot of it is also personal, since music can trigger good and bad memories,” Adamson says.
