How to Wind-Down After a Stressful Week

By: Julia Clancy

With fall finally here, there are plenty of fall activities that can help you wind down. It’s a stressful time, but there are plenty of fun and safe activities to partake in. This fall will be entirely what we make of it, due to not being able to have a completely normal fall. It’s so important to take care of ourselves during this time, and finding small ways to wind down, relax a bit, and have fun are great ways to do so! 

Here are a few of my favorites:

  1. I’ve found that by the end of a stressful week of at home classes, I am itching to get out of the house. What I’ve been doing is going for a long walk or hike with my roommates. It helps us get into a new scenery, as well as get some exercise. Whether it’s a walk around the neighborhood or going to a hiking trail, it’s a great way to wind down. My roommates and I have been trying to go on walks to different places every time (while bringing our masks of course!), just for some variety.

  2. After a long day of classes, sometimes it’s nice to just sit down on the couch and relax. My roommates and I have started to add movies to our Netflix list, and have been having movie nights. Especially for fall, there are great Halloween movies that are finally in season! It’s nice to just hang out and chill after working hard for the day, and movie nights are perfect for that!

  3. While watching movies is a great way to relax, watching movies all day isn’t the most productive day. There are plenty of great book lists online that I have been choosing from. I have been reading a lot of historical fiction and mystery books lately. Just search up your favorite genre and get started! Reading can keep you super busy, and it’s fun as well.

  4. Making learning to bake a goal became a huge thing during quarantine. I definitely got into baking, and have been trying to improve my skills since then. I love pumpkin flavored things, so I’ve been trying to work on making pumpkin bread for the fall season! I’ve been finding different recipes on Pinterest and trying to perfect them. It definitely has been helping me wind down after a stressful week.

Winding down is totally customizable to everyone. Fall is full of safe activities that you can do inside or outside. Get creative and inspired!