Anh Tran
California State University
NSHSS Fellows Board Vice President of Finance

Genetically we are all programmed to lose hair as we age, and although being bald is bold and brass most can agree that we would rather avoid that. Easier said than done when you live in today’s world where seemingly everything can cause you to have a mental meltdown because your Twitter homepage likes to mock you with anger inducing anything. If you are someone like us, a.k.a. constantly over stimulated with school, work, and life, finding time to relax is stressful itself. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Do all or some of the following activities to help you keep your strands of carotene flowing.

1. Stop and smell the roses

No, we are not telling you to frolic on your neighbor’s lawn to destress. When you feel stressed, you know that your 15 page paper is due at 8 am and you just started it yesterday but your body does not know that. Your body increase heart rates in order to pump more blood, allowing more oxygen to be disburse in critical body parts such as your brain and muscles because it thinks you are back in the stone age and you’re about to be mauled by a Saber Tooth Tiger. The body makes no distinction between the famished extinct cat behind you and the blank pages you have yet to fill, thus it responds the same way. In order to combat this inherent response induced by stress, go take a walk. Five to ten minutes of fresh air will give much needed oxygen to your body and the change of scenery will keep you more relaxed.

2. Pretend you know yoga

Our Instagram feeds are always filled with #goals inspirations but if you are like many who scroll past the human pretzel yoga pose on a cliff overlooking a sunset, wait a minute….
Over the past decade yoga has been booming in popularity alongside the fields of Nutrition and Gerontology for a reason. Yoga practices have many benefits that are perfect for relieving stress in the short run and for long term as well. If you don’t know how to start practicing yoga, don’t worry because we got your back! Take a 15 minute break and do a few poses while focusing on breathing to help your body relax and reset.

In the long run, yoga can keep your body looking up to ten years younger! Look at that! We just helped you learn how to keep some of your precious hair for later. You’re welcome…

3. Take a nap

Clear that table and go back to bed! You’ve been up pulling multiple all-nighters because for some reason your brain thought it would be a brilliant and efficient use of your rest time to do unfinished work. Sadly, your brain is fooling itself. Sleep is a time for your body to reset and replenish in a way that caffeine can’t replicate. Sleep deprivation only decreases your productivity and lowers your work quality.

4. Stuff your face

No, not really. Going into a food coma instead of studying for your exam isn’t a good idea, but light snacking during your long hours of study is! As you feel your energy draining, you struggle to focus on that five chapter cramming session, which is pretty much how your body tells you that it needs fuel to go on. This is when you can go to your fridge and grab something fresh to snack on. Simple carbs, fructose (natural sugar derived from fruits), and fibers can help you feel full and give you instant energy.

You: …what are you talking about? Just get to the point already…

Us: Better start taking notes, you asked for a schooling session.

Simple carbs are easier for the body to break up and use for energy than complex carbs, which means you can get instant energy! And the same thing applies to natural sugar. Fibers are something famous in the Activia yogurt commercials but what it basically does is that it helps you feel full and aid digestions. So in short, eat fruits or some toasts with extra virgin olive oil to give your body a boost of immediate energy.

Effective eating = effective studying.

The motion of chewing will also relax your jaw muscles and release tensions in your head. Whatever you do, just don’t eat yourself to sleep. That’s also counterproductive.

Well, now that you know our tricks for being able to relax while doing virtually anything stressful, go forth and omm your way through life. Reduce your stress and while you’re at it, save some hair follicles. You’ll never know when you need those in life. But on the off chance that you want to go for the bald look, rock it.