Reported By: By Mikaylla Nicole M. Alcairo 

It is 6:30 a.m. Your alarm clock goes off, but you snooze. 9 minutes later, it goes off again. You want to continue snoozing it, but you know that you have a class at 8 a.m. that you cannot be late for. Finally, you get out of bed and head to the bathroom to begin your hygiene routine. You go back to your room and sit at your desk. Class begins.  

That is an ideal day in the life of a college student during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the unfortunate reality is, many of us log onto our Zoom sessions with our webcams turned off and hop back into bed.  

We are now halfway through the semester and many of these unhealthy habits are hard to get rid of. The amount of stress that school, work, and my personal life had on me is probably very relatable to all of you. So, I decided to ask my friends how I should handle my stress. Here are some of their suggestions. 

Bhradley De Leon, 22, is currently working as a restaurant server.  

“Currently, I get stressed when there are last-minute changes to my schedule. Also, when work gets super busy [because] it’s hard sometimes,” states De Leon. 

To deal with his stress, he goes to the gym, hangs out with friends, and plays video games.

Like De Leon, Angela Diaz, 20, also goes to the gym to release stress. “Putting my workout first [in the day] before anything helped my mindset; to put myself first before anything or anyone else,” Diaz says.  

My friends also offered advice for those feeling stressed. 

Alexandra Lekites, 20, says, “Your mental health is more important than what’s stressing you. Make sure you give yourself a break and be kind to yourself because you’re making small progress every day towards your goals in life.” 

Jordan Barnes, 22, also known as Koreo, is a Twitch streamer and content creator. His current stressors include burnout, lack of creativity, and unnecessary drama.  

“Deep breaths and finding something you love to do whether it be eating your favorite meal or watching your favorite show. Going outside and breathing really helps too. Remember that stress is a temporary feeling and that you can exacerbate that feeling if you do anything rash during stressful moments,” Barnes advises.