The face of a stressed person is quite an ugly one. Twisted in wrinkly frowns from neck aches, back pain or migraines, the stressee is usually unaware of tension and anxieties until they slap her or him right in the face.
So, what should a person do when they are walking the thin line between pure chaotic craziness and normality?
Relax.
With almost 5,200 acres of richly green land made up of 7,000 various types of trees and shrubs, MSU is the perfect spot to stake out a section of nature and sit back and chill.
"My favorite place to relax is the (Beal) Botanical Garden because there's a lot of interesting things to look at and it's quiet," physics freshman Sara Curran said.
The garden, which is composed of five acres, boasts 5,000 different kinds of plants, ranging from endangered and threatened species, useful plants, wetlands and landscape plants.
But, the Beal Botanical Garden isn't the only option for students on campus who are looking for the greener side of life to calm frazzled nerves.
MSU is home to the Michigan 4-H Children's Garden, the Horticulture Demonstration Garden, the MSU Herbarium, the Clarence E. Lewis Landscape Arboretum, and the Botany and Plant Pathology Live Plant Collection.
Yet, if MSU isn't the place to rid stress-related problems, pack up the picnic basket and head to Lansing, where nature centers expand far and wide.
A icia Barber, a psychology junior, said she enjoys going to Woldumar Nature Center, 5739 Old Lansing Road, in Lansing, and Fenner Nature Center, 2020 E. Mount Hope Road, in Lansing.
"It's nice to be able to go somewhere to meditate," Barber said.
For some, however, the agonizing action of de-stressing has to come in the form of major tension release - the massage.
"Whenever I was stressed, I always wanted to go to Douglas J. (Aveda Institute) and get a massage," MSU May graduate Deena Loeffler said. "It seemed like the best answer to over-stressed muscles."
The Douglas J. Aveda Institute, 331 E. Grand River Ave., offers clients a special stress relieving treatment for $30 for a two-hour pressure point massage. The massage includes a rubdown of the customer's whole body, but will not focus on muscle knots or certain areas of pain.
But, if money is tight and a massage is out of the question, try this home exercise known as Progressive Muscle Relaxation, from www.about.com.
Lay down on a bed or sofa and tighten your calf muscles for 10 to 20 seconds, then release for another 10 to 20 seconds. Continue this technique with all of your major muscle groups and in the end, notice how much better your body feels when it's not so tight.
