It feels wrong to say, “it’s that time of the year again,” when referring to the stress that comes with the final stretch of another semester. I feel like it devalues the fact that stress is a perpetual state in the student existence.
We know all too well how crippling it is to have all of your midterms fall perfectly within three days of each other, or how impossible it feels to sit down and start a 15-page research paper the night before it’s due (I’m a good student though, mom. I swear).
If you’re like me, you know how debilitating stress and anxiety can feel when you’ve got a million things on your “to do” list. I’ve come to learn the best way of coping with these bouts is being able to identify the signs early so you can take a moment to recuperate before and/or after shit hits the fan.
Creating a space to relax and reboot might prove extremely beneficial for you. I call my living room the Zen Den, and I’m sure anyone who’s been to my apartment would attest to this.
Of course, your space doesn’t have to be a den at all, as long as it’s a place you feel calm and safe in—perhaps adorned with symbols or pictures you find significant or meaningful can help ground you during times of stress. We’ve created a mini-altar out of our unusable fireplace and reinvented it into an area dedicated to self-healing and cleansing.
It’s laden with melted wax, ashes, homages to Aphrodite, Mother Nature, and Isis, loose herbs, dried roses, and probably enough candles to send a firefighter into cardiac arrest.
You’ll find the great thing about creating your space is that you can decorate and personalize it any way you wish. It can be as lavish or modest as you want it to be. What I love about mine is that it’s filled with a lot of things I’ve made myself, like an Aphrodite collage and candle holders made out of empty wine bottles.
If you’ve never used a smudge stick before, I highly encourage you to invest in one. Predominantly made from sage or cedar plants, smudge sticks are simply a bundle of herbs bound together by string. When lit, the smoke is believed to have cleansing and healing properties.
Be sure to have a little dish or bowl handy to discard the stick’s ashes into either during or after use—this bit can be sort of messy. You can either let the herbs burn in your bowl, or run the stick along your body, letting the smoke envelope you. Sometimes people even mock wash their face with the smoke.
I find smudging is a great way to center and ground myself in the morning before my day has begun, after I’ve come home from a long day, or if I’m feeling particularly stressed or anxious. And they’re ludicrously inexpensive—I just bought a mini cedar smudge stick from Centretown’s Beaded Dreams for less than $5. They can also be found in various wellness shops around town.
Having a routine is important, and I think it’s equally imperative to set aside (or schedule in) time to nurture your mind, body, and soul.
Smudging and meditating on a regular basis can serve as a great coping mechanism for when stressful times arise. This is your space. As long as you fill it with positive energy and self-love, you can’t go wrong.
Here is a list of items you may want to include in your Zen Den, and again, you can personalize it to your heart’s content:
– Candles
– Photos or art that speak to you
– Momentos that remind you of happy times
– Incense
– Smudge sticks
– Crystals and rocks (they can be large or tiny)
– Plants
– Dried herbs
