Data Daze

In recent years there has been an explosion in the world of data collection. The electronic industry has seen a giant boom in the advancement of data collecting devices that can virtually track everything we do. It seems as though society has developed a fetish for tracking the inner workings of everything.

From the amount of steps we take to the hours of deep sleep we get, people have entered an era of obsessive data tracking. There is even a data tracking changing table that tracks the growth and feeding of newborn babies. What exactly makes spending $299 dollars on a changing table that has a scale in it worth it? It must be the fact that you can choose between four different colors.

So what does all this data tracking have to do with stress and the college experience? Well, it just so happens that along with a data tracking changing table, there is also a stress-tracking device. The particular device that I found is called the “Spire Wearable for Mind and Body, for iOS”. The device is worn as a clip on your body and like many other data tracking devices, it is correlated to a smart phone.

In a nutshell, the device tracks stress by measuring breathing. At the same time, it provides notifications and feedback with tips on how to regulate stress. It is able to detect tension through your breathing that in turn signifies when it is time to stop and take a breath. It includes exercises and “mini-meditations” for you to do when your breathing indicates stress.

For $149.95 you can buy this device and receive notifications for when you are feeling stressed out. However, I think that more times than not, we know when we are stressed out, and don’t need a machine to tell us. I do however think that as college students it is important to know some simple tricks we can do to calm ourselves down. A go-to trick is to regulate your breathing. Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth helps to relieve tension. Really, you just want to avoid the short quick breaths that perpetuate our panic.

Some long-term fixes that are thought to diminish stress overtime are self-explanatory. They include getting more sleep, exercising regularly and eating well, which for a college student I know isn’t as easy as it sounds. I did however, find a few tips that I never thought about utilizing to regulate my stress.

One is minimizing the amount of caffeinated drinks. The more you try and perpetuate that caffeine rush, the more you are building up an inevitable energy crash. Big energy crashes ultimately make us more vulnerable to stress. Another tip that I never thought to try is to make time everyday to work on something you genuinely enjoy. Whether it is an hour of mindlessly watching Netflix or reading a book, make sure you schedule time in your day to do so. This way you have something relaxing to look forward to everyday.

With these tips you are off to a good start when trying to relieve stress. As far as the stress tracker goes, I personally think that as college students we know enough about our body that we are able to tell when we are stressed out. After all, that is what inspired me to start this blog. However, it is important to have a few long and short-term strategies under our belt to help us manage our stress. So really it’s up to you. You can spend $149.95 on a stress tracker, or you can listen to your body and follow these few simple tips in order to start managing your stress head on.

The College Experience: Lessons Learned

Whether you are a freshman experiencing college for the first time, a senior getting ready to jump into the working world or somewhere in between, I’m sure at some point stress has gotten the best of you. Trying to stay on top of deadlines and extracurricular activities can be tough for a college student. I didn’t even mention planning ahead for study abroad and applying to internships.

These combine to be only a portion of the things that college students have become pros at, or as close as we can get to pros, when it comes to juggling our responsibilities. Despite the pressure of successfully upholding all of our responsibilities, the independence that comes with attending college gives us the opportunity to discover the type of person we want to become.

College gives us the opportunity to explore different majors and career paths. We figure out what we like and dislike. For those undecided, maybe the hours of studying that didn’t result in the grade you thought, steers you clear from ever taking another course in that subject again. This is alright, because maybe the class you expected to enjoy the least turned into what would soon become your major and then your career path. So yes, while college is at times overwhelming, it is also the best and most unique experience of our lives. Through the people we meet and the interests we discover, we learn more about ourselves in these four years than people expect.

Through this blog I hope to discover and share ways to make the stress seem not so stressful, the responsibilities less of a chore and the independence more fulfilling. With a little bit of humor and some real life experiences of people in the same boat, I hope to give insight on how to make the college experience run as smooth and non-stressful as possible.