No matter what happens, where you are, or how bad things may seem, remember to just take a moment. Stop; and b r e a t h e. This is something I find difficult to do a lot of the time. There's so much to do, and so little time to do it that simply stopping and reminding ones' self to simply be seems like a waste of time. We're constantly told to be proactive, get ahead on our work, don't procrastinate, and do everything with our all. Don't dare skimp on a single detail. Investing in yourself is and always will be a valuable use of your time. If you see a particularly vibrant flower, stop. If you see a bench, sit. Take a breath. All of this seems highly cliche, but I promise I'm not just taking my best stab at philosophy here. If the stress of college has taught me anything its that investing time in yourself and allowing yourself to be in this very moment at this second is never something that you should feel guilty for.
I have often felt that the coping methods for stress and anxiety are like a Band-Aid. The first thing anyone will tell you is to find an outlet that really allows you to let go of thoughts of the stresses of life. The thing that nobody ever addresses is that this is a slippery slope to stress as well. As part of therapy I took up watercolor painting; it was fun at first, until I began to get frustrated that I wasn't seeing any major improvement in my skills. Instead of being something that relaxed me I became frustrated. Now, I know that an outlet for anxiety cannot have embedded goals. Draw to draw. Paint to paint. Write to write. Read to read. If you start a book with the goal of finishing it rather than reading each page in full detail, then you miss the journey because all you're worrying about is the last page. I was drawn to this piece of art immediately because of my deep rooted beliefs in giving yourself the time to sit down, and to breathe while thinking about the rhythm of your breath and nothing else.