Staying Afloat

Sometimes life just seems to come crashing down and it feels a little like I am drowning; drowning under work, school, projects, papers, chores, deadlines. Although it is something most people would prefer to avoid, only super powers are cabable of evading the clammy palms and heavy eyelids of Stress. I have seen a pattern. Stress tends to build up at the end of each semester at college. I should have seen it coming. It happens every year. But after Easter, with only 48 days until graduation, I was surprised. I felt anxiety creeping up, my thoughts were whirling , and I felt the need to make a ridiculous amount of lists. After seven successfully completed semesters I am hoping that I have perfected the necessary coping methods to rise to the surface and finally breath a sigh of relief.

So here is a list of things I do to keep treading water

1. Take a breath. Take a second to put your thoughts in order. Maybe meditate and give myself a blank slate

2. Sit down with a pen and paper. Write down what is stressing me out. What are the things that I need to get done, and when do I need to be done?

3. Move forward, slowly but surely. If there is a mountain of things that need to get done, tackling each task individually and checking things off my list gives me small moments of success that keep me going.

4. Keep a routine. Even though when I am stressed out I feel like I have no time to do anything but work 24/7. A routine helps me to be as productive with my time as possible. For example, no matter how little time I have, I always try to exercise because it is a part of my routine and it makes me feel refreshed for the rest of the day.

5. Take a break. Again, it feels like there is no time, but when I am constantly working I find myself becoming less productive. Taking a break to grab food with a friend or take a walk allows me to be more productive when I am working.

6. Be ready to take whatever life throws at me.

#stress #college