Ommmmm.

According to our friends at AOL Health, we are ruining our lives. They’ve compiled a list of dangerous ways to relax – and unfortunately for me (and probably a lot of you) this list could pretty much make my “interests” section on Facebook.

For college students, things like zoning out in front of the TV, pigging out on greasy pizza, and binge drinking are simply facts of life: we don’t see their inherent potential to harm us, we simply perpetuate these behaviors because they’re easy or convenient or fun.

But this AOL Health article really rings true. Yeah, we do a lot of these things because in the moment, at this point in our lives, we can usually come out of these behaviors completely unscathed. Sure, it’s fine to indulge in Gossip Girl marathons once in a while, or to wake up in the middle of the night and reach for that stick of cookie dough after a hard breakup, but replacing these unhealthy, sometimes-unsafe practices with healthier ones could make a huge difference in the long run. Stress can have really serious implications, so why engage in behaviors that only do more to ruin our bodies?

Here are five awesome, easy ways to deal with stress in a healthy way:

Take a walk: It may not get your heart pumping the way a run would, but taking a walk is a great way to (literally) step away from the things that cause you stress. If it’s nice outside, the fresh air from an outdoor walk will calm you down while the monotony of keeping a steady pace allows you to focus on your thoughts. Research shows that just being outside can cause stress levels to drop.  If it’s too hot or cold outside, drive to the closest mall and walk around the entire perimeter. Just try not to get lured in by window displays!

Read: Call me old-fashioned, but I totally believe in the power of picking up a good book. And no, I’m not suggesting you download one or break out your Kindle or whatever people do these days. I’m saying make a trip to the bookstore, spend at least an hour browsing, and come home ready to crack open a page-turner. Whether your choice is cerebral (Plato, anyone?) or fun (confession: the third installment of Lauren Conrad’s LA Candy series, Sugar And Spice, is on my nightstand right now), a good book will not only take your mind off of things, it’ll also give your eyes a much-needed break from the glaring light of your computer, TV, or phone.

Cook: Working towards a goal makes you feel accomplished, but when that goal is something that can seriously affect your life, like studying for a huge test or applying for a job, it can add to your stress level. Something that feels more trivial can do the opposite. Making a new dish from scratch is the kind of thing that will make you feel like you have a purpose; luckily, no one is grading or evaluating your skills, so if you fail it’s no biggie.

Pamper yourself: Giving yourself a mini manicure is a great way to de-stress. Soak your hands and feet, slather on rich lotion, and clip/file your nails. It’s a super relaxing activity that yields real results: if you really feel like going all-out, rub a foot scrub across your heels to remove any gross calluses, cover the spot with Vaseline, and wear socks for a few hours to let it really soak in. The most important part? Choosing a bright, pretty shade of nail polish – there’s nothing more mood altering than a handful of polished nails – use a neon shade if need energy, and a pastel if you need a calming influence.

Revamp your wardrobe: Go through everything you’ve accumulated and find new ways to wear clothes that scream “three years ago.” Better yet, take these old trends and make them work right now. Have an old black blazer lying around? Wrap some fun fabric on the cuffs, sew it in place, and voila! You have a brand new boyfriend blazer (so hot right now), minus the $200 price tag. If working with your hands and evading an expensive purchase aren’t amazing ways to relax, I don’t know what will do it.

This is a stressful time of year, and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed by everything. Almost everyone experiences stress, but in different ways: what kind of stress plagues you? Find out here and learn the best ways for you to combat your stress.

So, here’s the ultimate post-grad survival kit (or at least what I’ve figured out over the last six months):

1. Stay Busy – Keep your ass moving at all times. Don’t hang out on the couch day after day, keep busy – whether it’s working a job, interning, or taking pottery classes.  Do anything that will keep you busy. I’ve thrown myself into the LSAT, and trust me, it’s kept me occupied. Who knows how I’ll feel once my LSAT journey is over, but for now … it’s what I do to keep busy. Busy leaves little room to do #2.

2. Don’t reminisce too much – If you do nothing but think about college, you’re going to do nothing but miss college. Avoid this as much as you can. If something comes up in conversation, talk about it, but don’t sit in your room and look at pictures from your sophomore year every night. It’s okay to admit that college was one of the best times of your life, but it’s not okay to let that ‘best time of your life’ define the rest of your life. You should have the attitude that the best is yet to come and college was just a stepping stone. Or yeah, you’ll be depressed like all those articles say.

3. Do something you didn’t do in college – Find a new hobby or something you didn’t participate in throughout college. For example, I have never been a runner. And I wouldn’t call myself a runner even now. But since graduation, I have clocked in many miles on the boardwalk (this is a plus of living in CA) and on the treadmill as I possibly can. My college self wouldn’t have taken the time to just run. Doing something that you aren’t used to doing shows you that more things exist than what you thought about in college. It can be anything:  take up painting, wine tastings, or knitting. Join a gym. Become a mentor. Anything you didn’t do in college.

4. Change it up – Your overall appearance probably didn’t change too much throughout college. Now that you’re a post-grad, you should definitely change something … even if it’s something small. Cut your hair. Paint your nails a color you would never wear in college (I was afraid of black nail polish in college, but now I love it). Change your style. While I don’t think you should abandon yourself from the last four years, a little update won’t hurt. It will make you feel better about yourself and it will signify this new, mature stage in your life.

5. Be serious – While you may have had an attitude that says “I don’t care” in college, it’s time to get serious about your future. You definitely don’t have to have anything figured out, but you should be serious about getting to whatever point you want in your life next. If you don’t know what you want to do (seriously, who truly knows what they want to do?), you should do everything to try to figure it out. Be serious about this. It may have been cool in high school and sometimes in college to be a slacker or to just not care , but you should be able to seriously talk about what you want.

6. Change Your Mind – In college, I had everything planned out and followed a strict routine when it came to everything –  I never changed my mind. However, the most important thing post-grad has taught me is that changing your mind can be a gift. One day, you want to intern somewhere and the next day you don’t. It may not be on the path you wanted, but you figured out why and it’s a big eye-opener. The only way to figure things out is to make mistakes and to change your mind. It sounds like something out of a self-help book, but I seriously think this has been the most beneficial thing overall.

I know I’m not the only post-grad over here at CollegeCandy, so tell me … what are your ultimate survival tips for being a post-grad?

Finally, after weeks of late nights, early mornings, and far too many Doritos, I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Sure, I’ve got to get through a few more exams, sell my books, pack up my life and make the big trek home, but at least I know the end (and a margarita on the front lawn) is near. And that feels good.

You know what else feels good? Well, besides these delicious t-shirt sheets on an unseasonably cold May morning…. Taking a break from my textbooks and flashcards and thinking about something that won’t be written in a Blue Book in the near future.

So let us get to this week’s Would You Rather….. Think, vote, share. Then return to your regularly scheduled cram sesh.

Would You Rather be able to go back in time and fix a mistake you made and possibly change the course of your life OR get a glimpse of your future but not be able to change anything about it?

Things to Consider: That night you blacked out and did something stupid, that other night you blacked out and did something stupid, the future you that will black out and do something stupid.

I need more tissue.

Newsflash: No one likes to be dumped. It’s the ultimate feeling of being unwanted, unloved, and just not good enough.

Welcome to the last month of my life. After spending the last year hoping to do so, I finally reconnected with my high school sweetheart — someone I had tons of history with and who knows me better than anyone. After many, many ups and downs, it turns out that college life (even when it was the summer) was just not conducive to our relationship. I could sugar coat it saying that “we broke up,” but the truth is that I was dumped. Ouch.

At this point I should probably clarify that I’m not hating on this guy (or even angry), especially since his reasons for ending it were completely justified. That being said, losing the person you’re closest to is just not an easy thing to do. Not only are you losing what you had in the relationship, but oftentimes you could be losing a best friend as well.

So what do you do? As much as it might feel like your world is ending, spending more that 3 days in your pajamas on the couch watching P.S. I Love You calls for a heartbreak intervention. While the sting of being relationship sh*t-canned will stick around for a little while, it’s important to get back on your feet. I hope these tips will help.

Don’t play the blame game. While it’s really easy to start hating on the SOB who broke your heart, it’s important to remember that relationships often end. Unless your man cheated on you (in which case, I hope you dumped his ass), the breakup is quite possibly nobody’s “fault.” Chances are that you’ve both made some mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and for sure nobody is perfect in a relationship. As much as it sucks, sometimes things just don’t work out.

Reach out. You don’t have to do this by yourself. Your friends and family members have most likely experienced a break up or two, and they might have a few words of wisdom. (Or at least a bottle of Jack.) Sometimes, even having someone to sit and watch TV with you will help you feel less lonely and allow you to get all those feelings off your chest.

Remember that it’s okay to be sad. I know, it’s tempting to pull out the sour grapes and act like you don’t care – but it’s okay to be upset. In a way, it’s like grieving, and you just need to let the emotions run their course. Cry if you have to cry, scream if you have to scream, eat three Costco cakes if you have to eat three Costco cakes… Having your heart broken is a lot like riding a roller coaster, but it’ll be over eventually.

Cut off contact. I really hate this one, but it’s a necessary evil. Texting him “I’m so sorry” a million times isn’t going to make him want you back. Even if your guy pulled the “we can still be friends” card, being friends for the first little while could be a little too painful for you. What if he starts dating someone else? Give each other a little space for a couple weeks and if you both agree, slowly start making contact again. Just remember: being friends doesn’t mean you’re going to start dating again, so if those are your intentions don’t do it. But if you value this person enough to just be friends, give it a shot.

Don’t Bad Mouth. Sure, the douche-bag forgot your birthday (twice) and you’re glad to have him out of your life, but try to be mature. This is especially important if you have mutual friends. Once you start bad mouthing each other, they will feel like they’ve been put in the middle, and nobody wants that. Even though you’re resentful, there was a point in time that you loved this guy. You wouldn’t want him telling his friends all the embarrassing things that are wrong with you – do him the same courtesy.

No Regrets. Sometimes after a relationship ends, it’s easy to look at the time spent together as a waste. Try to remember all the positive things you will take with you long after this guy is out of your life. Memories are good things to hold on to, so try not to regret them. If nothing else, hopefully this experience has taught you what you really want out of a relationship.

Remember it will be okay. I’m not gonna lie, the first few days suck. A lot. It feels like your life is over, and you just don’t know what to do with yourself. They call it being heartbroken for a reason. It’s not a fun thing to experience, but have a shower, get out of your PJs, and eventually things will get better. You may feel like your ex was perfect for you, but just remember that the real perfect guy would want to be with you too.

How do you get over a breakup?

The times, as Bob Dylan says, they are a-changin’ for those of us counting down the days until obligatory public schooling ends.

While change has been the topic on everyone’s mind since second semester senioritis kicked in, it didn’t quite hit me until last Friday, the official college decision day, on which my classmates proudly wore t-shirts to school bearing their college’s name to celebrate this momentous milestone. Some called it tactless, others called it pointless, but I saw it as truly emblematic of the change we are all about to go through. Especially since just a day earlier, we had received our caps and gowns for graduation while the rest of the school elected next year’s student government. Talk about symbolism!

The more I’ve thought about it, the more interested I’ve become in what this seemingly insignificant ritual truly means. No longer are we going to identify ourselves as high school seniors, students that attend X High School or live in X town. Starting in the fall (or even sooner for those who can’t wait to get the hell out of Dodge), we will refer to ourselves as freshmen at Y College or Z University. This transition is almost like a change in our identities as we move on to the next phase of life, discovering our passions and skills and setting the groundwork for future careers.

All this sounds exciting, and for the most part, it certainly is. But at the same time, I admit to being half-terrified. I’ve been very comfortable with my life; I’m close with my family, I know who I am, and I know what I want to do with my life. I’m not opposed to trying new things, but I am nervous about some of the changes college will bring.

I’m comforted by the fact that just about every other high school senior shares some aspect of my anxiety – and yet I can’t quite shake this feeling that making this transition is going to be far from a cakewalk. And given the relative ease of my life so far, living under my parents’ roof and enjoying the luxuries of dependence (thank you, Mom and Dad, for keeping me clothed and fed all these years), I hope I can handle the adjustment and whatever college throws at me come the fall.

What was the transition from high school to college like for you? How did you cope with the change?

Shortly after taking the oath of office at his inauguration today, Barack Obama delivered his highly anticipated inauguration address. In the speech, Obama pointed out the problems with our country that he now must face as President, focusing mostly on the “badly weakened” economy. President Obama told the people of America:

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.”

As usual, Obama was inspiring and eloquent. I thought the speech really set the mood for the next 4 years to come, and the mood of “change” was definitely in the air. I’m excited to watch Obama fulfill his goals and bring about the change everyone is hoping for.

What about you? What did you think of Obama’s speech?

(And if you missed the speech, you can read the transcript here.)

So you’ve grown up, moved out, and now you’re living on your own. Still, whenever anybody asks where you’re from, you proudly state the place where you grew up instead of your current address. And no matter how much you love your college experience, there is still a comfortable feeling associated with returning home.

Your old bed.

Your old couch.

Your mom’s cooking. Mmmm.

However, no matter how long since you’ve left home, goin’ back never feels the same. Something changes; it may be a tangible difference or a change in emotion, but it’s different just the same.

When I returned home for the first time for Thanksgiving of my freshman year, I discovered the intensity of my mom’s home improvement kick. I drove away from a white house in September and pulled up to a blue one in November. My dingy twin bed was now a queen, complete with a handcrafted quilt and a wool blanket (a welcome change, don’t get me wrong). The pictures of my friends and I were out of site, and my shelves were now ridden with family photos and potpourri.

My room was no longer my room and it just felt weird.

However, there were also changes that run much deeper than my mother’s new home makeover. What would you do if you came home and the family you thought you had was completely different? This happened for me two years after I left for college. My dad took me out to dinner this past summer and told me that he and my mother were separating. The next day, he moved out. I had never lived in that house without him, and having to pick up the phone to talk to him just felt wrong.

There are so many emotions that come with changes like that, whether it’s the death of a family pet or a parent’s illness. And honestly, each time you go home, something else will probably change and evoke the same emotion. When things get hard to deal with, realize that you are really not alone. I’m sure many people you know are also going through some pretty tough changes at home. Be sure to go to your friends for advice, support, or a safe place to vent. The worst thing is letting these emotions build up without letting them out periodically.

When things change, it is all too easy to start thinking that your hometown is no longer your home. No matter how powerless you feel over these changes, try to remember all of the experiences that you’ve had over the years. Even if you don’t live in the same house or even the same state, you don’t have to leave your memories in the dust. And remember, your family will always be your family, regardless of what shape it may take. Home is where you’re loved, which pretty much covers anywhere you may ever go.

Sick and tired of gender inequality, political injustice and other unfair atrocities that run rampant in the corrupt Indian government, a group of Indian women, who call themselves the Gulabi (pink) Gang, have decided to take action into their own hands.

“Nobody comes to our help in these parts. The officials and the police are corrupt and anti-poor. So sometimes we have to take the law in our hands. At other times, we prefer to shame the wrongdoers.”

It is hard to imagine the need for such a vigilante group (or the strength required by women to stand up and start one), but that is because we don’t have to face the same discrimination that women in India do. The Indian society, especially in the poorest areas, is one dominated by men, where women have no choice but to marry to get ahead in life. Most women are not educated, are married off at an extremely young age, and are blamed for everything that goes wrong in the household.

Because of the culture and society in India, these women have no choice but to stay in their abusive relationships. They are nothing without their men.

The Pink Gang is trying to change that by any means possible: public embarassment, lessons in self defense for women, or even just their presence. They are giving a voice to a typically silent population.

If it weren’t for the ladies of the Pink Gang, there would be no one to help the battered wives of Banda, to prevent the goverment officials from taking money promised to the poor communities, or to give women a voice in this male-dominated society.

This story is one of strength, power and inspiration, and one I felt the women of CollegeCandy needed to hear. We don’t always realize how good we have it – going to school, holding a job, having the freedom to choose our daily activities – and this story is a reminder of that and the strength of women everywhere.

It is one hell of an evening. It does not matter which candidate you supported today, we should all be proud of our country and ourselves. Not only did we elect the first black president in American history, but we came out in record numbers to do so.

Our demographic – the “apathetic young people” – stood up and made a choice. We campaigned, we were engaged like never before, and today we voted.

This country is in serious need of a change, and while both candidates were more than capable of bringing that change, Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States. I know I am not the only one who is excited for him to take office. And I know that his daughters, who are definitely stoked about getting that new puppy, aren’t the only ones excited for him to take office. This country as a whole is ready for Barack Obama.

I could feel it when I was watching the returns. I could feel it when the bar I was in erupted in cheers. I could feel it as I drove back to my house and heard people screaming on the streets.

Today was an awesome day and the next four years promise to be the same.

When I moved to college, the first thing I did after unpacking my shower caddy and twin extra long sheets was buy a parking spot. I had to have my car. Had to. It gets cold in Colorado, obviously, so walking all over campus in the winter was not an option. Plus, I got so used to having a car for errands, Costco runs, etc., that I just couldn’t bear to be without one.

I am sure most students feel the same way, especially since I can never find anywhere to park on campus these days. Ugh. Why do I even have a car if I can’t use it to drive to class?!

But I digress.

All of this campus street congestion that is no doubt a problem on college campuses nationwide has led many schools to start a revolution…with bikes.

The University of New England is one of a few schools (that will soon be many) that is offering free bikes to any student who leaves their car at home. Other schools are setting up bike share programs, which entice students to pedal around campus instead of hopping in the car. These schools are hoping that by giving students a real alternative, they will not feel the need to bring their car to campus.

And it looks like it’s all working – for more than just the parking sitch:

“We did it as a means of reducing the need for parking, but as we looked at it from the standpoint of fitness, health and sustainability, we realized we have the opportunity to create a change.”

The whole idea is really quite smart. By opting for a bike instead of a car you could help the environment, save money on parking (and parking tickets…), get healthy, and free up some of those parking spots for the rest of us reduce the number of cars clogging your campus streets. And all for free!

This looks like a total win/win.