Amid the stress, take a moment to appreciate the little things

For all my past rhapsodizing about how great it is to be young and in college, the truth is, our lives aren't exempt from getting stressful. This is a fact, and it's a fact that we have to deal with regularly.

Maybe it's the contrast with spending this time last fall in Rome, but I've been noticing this semester that everyone on campus, myself included, seems to be so stressed already. Everyone is happy to tell you that they have tons of work to finish, majors to declare, meetings to attend, commitments to uphold and job opportunities to pursue. It's a lot, and it's never ending.

We have a habit of turning our stress levels into a competition, as well -- how many times have you stood in the frost-your-own-cupcake line at D-Hall, one-upping your friends with the lack of hours you slept the night before or the number of meetings you had that day?

Five and a half hours and four meetings, bam. Pass the frosting.

I'm as guilty of venting as the next person, but lately I've really been trying to appreciate the little things. It may not take away all of the stress, but it makes it easier to regain focus while appreciating that things aren't quite so bad.

Here are some little things I've been appreciating over the past week:

1) Frost-your-own-cupcake day, obviously.

2) A nice guy with an adorable puppy that came bounding across the Westhampton Green toward me. I dare you to be upset while you're petting a puppy. It's impossible.

3) The study abroad fair. During my stint working the Rome table, we decided to truly embrace the Italian lifestyle and just sit in the courtyard soaking up sun and eating gelato. Sometimes it's so nice to just sit still for an hour.

4) "The Office" comes back today.

5) The fact that it's not 500 percent humidity out anymore, but it's still warm enough to wear shorts.

6) Tennis. I'm horrible at tennis, but I've been making myself go to a class every week as a stress reliever. For every 50 bad shots I make, I'll hit one really hard. The noise the ball makes when it bounces off the right part of your racquet is so satisfying.

7) Terrible songs that make you feel better. We all have our own set of completely embarrassing songs that we pretend we hate, but secretly take pride in performing like our own personal Broadway auditions when we hear them. Mine include "Call Me Maybe," "Super Bass" and a particularly dramatic rendition of City High's "What Would You Do" ... throwback.

8) Friends, old and new, near and far. Cheesy as anything, but true -- they'll get you through the crazy days.

Even though we can't wave a magic wand and make all of the stress disappear, we can always slow down, take a little time for ourselves and find something small to appreciate.