Tag Archives: stress management

Beating Finals Week Ahead of Time

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There is a lot of stress building up as we move into finals week, so I have started compiling a list of ways to combat that stress and use time productively.

  • I normally try not to reward myself for finishing another page on my essay or finishing a worksheet, by watching an episode of TV or scrolling through Facebook, because it often disrupts my thought process. But I feel that in times where stress is high and you’re working on so many things at one time, it can help to give yourself a break once you meet some sort of deadline that you’ve set for yourself. It is also proven that you should not study for too long without a break, as your brain can only focus for so long on the same thing. Taking short breaks will keep your mind fresh and help deter writer’s block and other lethargic thought processes. This leads me to my next point…                               
  • Set small deadlines for yourself. If you can make some sort of schedule that plans out small workloads for each day leading up to a final exam or paper, it will make everything you have to accomplish seem much more manageable. In order to organize yourself, it often helps to write down everything you want to get done and then write out when you will do each item on your list. This always helps relieve stress for me because I generally only have one thing to do on each day leading up to an exam and then I am not cramming.
  • Besides your small rewards for meeting smaller deadlines, it is so important to take time to relax. It may be hard to find the time to do so, but it is very beneficial in the long run. Allowing time for your brain to rest, allowing yourself to think and talk about something that is not directly related to your studies, can help rejuvenate your brain.
  • Eat well and get some exercise! Food and physical activity can help reduce stress so much. Exercising will help produce endorphins, which are natural mood elevators, while also reducing the cortisol levels. Certain foods can make you feel bloated and uncomfortable after you eat, which makes it harder to study and stay focused. Eating protein will help keep your brain sharp and fruits and veggies will help keep your eyes focused.
  • Make sure you are drinking water! I always seem to have a problem with this and find that I feel so much better when I drink more water. Whether or not I’m actually less stressed is questionable, but I do feel good about drinking something that I know is healthy.                                                          
  • Stick to your schedule once you’ve made it. It’s so easy to forget about it or lose yourself in other tasks when there’s a lot going on, but making sure you follow your list for the day will help make sure that you get everything done. This will help reduce stress, simply because you aren’t waiting until the last minute to accomplish these tasks.

Have any tips for the weeks leading up to finals? Share/comment below!

Tips for When the Going Gets Tough

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When life hits you all at once, it can be really hard to accept how you’re feeling and give yourself the time to process all your emotions. This week, I got out of a meeting and immediately felt like crying. I missed my mom and I suddenly felt so emotional that I couldn’t hold back my tears.

At the time, I was having a really hard time rationalizing my emotions, trying to figure out why I was feeling so sad, and could not come up with anything that made sense. The problem I realized later in the day was that, my feelings didn’t necessarily need to make sense. I think that often, as women, we are chastised for showing too much emotion, often being told that we are too emotional, and also that we are irrational as a result. What I have been realizing more and more often is that you feel what you feel and there is no stopping it. I also recognized that my feelings were likely a product of stress, even though at the time, I didn’t consciously feel stressed.

This is a very busy time in the semester, with midterms and papers being due, and it can be overwhelming trying to stay on top of everything. If there are times where you do feel like pulling your hair out, or you just feel like you can’t take it any more, here are some things you can do to cool off:

  1. Allow yourself to cry. Sometimes, I try to hold in my tears, when I could really benefit from just letting them out. Crying can be very cathartic, and I often feel better after I empty my tear ducts.
  2. If you can take a step from something, anything, do it! Even if it’s just skipping a meeting that you were planning on attending so that you can take some time to practice self care, it will be worth it.
  3. Go for a walk, go to the gym, do something to get your body moving. Even if you’re not training for a marathon or getting in shape for a sport, just doing something to get your heart rate up can be so beneficial for, not only your physical health, but also your mental and emotional health. It has also been proven to relieve stress and can get endorphins flowing so that you feel happier afterwards.
  4. Call a friend, a family member, or talk with someone in person! The truth is that most people have either had similar experiences and can relate to what you’re feeling. It can feel so good to have someone affirm what you’re feeling, even though it is important to note that, even if someone doesn’t affirm your feelings, THEY ARE STILL 100% VALID.   
  5. Eat something delicious! I would not necessarily condone stress eating, though I am victim of it, but eating something healthy and delicious can help jumpstart your system and is great fuel for your brain. It’s not always to make healthy decisions when you’re stressed, but it’s the most important time to eat healthier. Try for at least one veggie or fruit per meal!

These are my tips, but if you have any that I haven’t listed, please comment below! Here’s to a great week, and coming up, spring break!!

Making Self Care A Priority

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College is one of the most exciting times of our lives. We have freedom like we never have before, we get to pick all of our classes, we have no parents or guardians living with us, endless opportunities to join clubs, do sports, and meet tons of new people. It feels like the world is finally opening its doors and we can do everything and anything we want.

Although this is liberating, where we feel like a force to be reckoned with, it normally lasts for a week or two, and then reality sets in. Living on your own means that you have to regulate everything yourself: when to do laundry, when to eat, study, get exercise. In addition, we have to regulate our own schedules beyond our classes. How many clubs can you join? Will you do a varsity sport? How much time will that eat up? These are all things we have to think about and it can be a hard transition to make sure there’s a balance between them all.

Most of the people at the 5C’s are extremely good at managing everything and are always willing to offer advice to help make sure their friends and peers are balancing everything in their lives. What I see more and more often is that people often prioritize the care of other students, before they prioritize their own. I am definitely guilty of this and have a hard time making sure that I have time to get all my work done, enjoy my extra-curricular activities, and also spend time with my friends and relax. Self care is so important, but often doesn’t take precedence in our busy schedules. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be there for your friends, but you can’t help others as effectively if you aren’t in a good place yourself.

Recognizing when you are stressed or overwhelmed and taking a step back to evaluate how you can reduce that stress is crucial to staying mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy. Sometimes, you realize you haven’t exercised in a while, so you go to the gym to clear your head, or you spend a night with your friends watching movies or having a dance party. But sometimes you just need to treat yourself to a bubble bath or a soft pretzel.

 

jess

When life gets to be too much, we often feel alone and isolated by our feelings, but if you are feeling down, there are so many resources and people whose job it is to help you talk it out. You can always contact your RA, the dean of students, a parent, or a friend to work through your feelings. In addition, Scripps and the 5C’s offer free counseling if you would rather talk with someone who has a completely objective perspective.

The most important thing about self care is recognizing your feelings and realizing that they are completely valid, even if they seem outrageous or silly. The truth is, most people are going through similar situations and realizing that can also be very comforting. I know for me, I have had to cut back on my activities this year, in order to maintain my sanity and emotional wellbeing. That is allowed and totally valid. If your stress comes from grades, know that you are not defined by your grade. It does not define your self-worth, or even what you will do in the future. Everyone will love you the same, even if you don’t ace your next midterm.

So embrace your feelings, even when they seem silly and take some time to treat yourself every now and then.

Enjoy Little Victories

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These first three weeks of school have felt more like 3 months for me. My work is ramping up (mmm, double theses), scheduling remains a juggling game (how many “when2meet” links have you submitted thus far?), and just when one big task gets completed, the list grows. I tend to neglect or compromise some aspect of my life depending on the priority or timeline of something else. And unfortunately  some of the most basic things are the ones that get compromised: sleeping, eating, being active (and I don’t mean “active” as in 15+ hour days of meetings and class with few breaks after getting four hours of sleep and then repeating this cycle).

As of this past week, I have successfully turned in the Watson proposal and Peace Corps application! Right now, I kind of feel something like this about pursuing international opportunities after graduating. It’s been a huge relief (I’ll be celebrating on September 25th for my 22nd birthday), but there’s always something else that stresses me out. I’ve been remembering how I manage my stress and how important it is to give myself alone time.

Finding what works for you is very personal and depends on many different factors. Here are some general suggestions that I hope help in managing stress and incorporating self-care into a busy schedule.

  1. Enjoy little victories.

Did you participate and really enjoy class discussion? Did you figure out a homework problem that had been stumping you? Did a meeting get cancelled or did class get out just a bit earlier giving you some breathing time you thought you wouldn’t have? Was there no line in the dining hall when you went to get a meal?

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the big picture and big questions, but taking in small moments throughout the day can help manage those thoughts.

  1. Pick your battles and set your limits.

We all want to be engaged and successful with what we are involved with on campus, but sometimes I know I need to realize that I should not commit to everything, especially if I am not doing it for the right reasons. Investment in activities should be growing experiences and the work put towards them should hopefully manifest in some way! While Scripps students do it all, sometimes we need to recognize that we don’t have to do it all.

  1. Make time for things you look forward to.

This is kind of like enjoying little victories. These things can be really small, because hopefully they shouldn’t be another source of planning induced stress. I personally LOVE breakfast. So when I can, I start weekdays with solo breakfast, preferably seated somewhere nice outside like Seal Court. Whether it’s literally stopping to smell the roses by the Garden or listening to a favorite podcast between classes, Tea on Wednesdays, it usually helps when there are things to look forward to sprinkled throughout the day.

  1. Treat yourself.

Popularized by Parks and Rec, this suggestion works wonders in moderation. After turning the Watson in, I treated myself to a caramel latte from the Motley. After my junior recital this past April, I spent at least 30 minutes at the pool every day for the following week.  Even after a long, productive, completed day, lying on to your bed can be a great treat yourself.

What have you found helpful for managing your stress? Do you like more alone time or do you feel reenergized are quality time with friends? Whatever it is, I hope it makes you feel like this and ready for what’s next!