Don't be Stressin'

First off, sorry for not posting last week. I had the opportunity to go home for the weekend and spend time with my family and friends, so I wanted to make sure I did all my readings and homework before I left. This meant skipping writing a post as well as skipping a few hours of sleep, but now onto this weeks post!

As a part of one of the grants I received I am required to go to workshops presented by the university. This week I went to one on stress management and found it super helpful, especially being a first year student. The presenter spoke on the effects that stress can cause on your physical body such as tightening of the chest, headaches, tension in the shoulders, etc. Every person is different. In the back of my mind I knew this was true, but once she spoke about it I found myself pondering what ways my body reacts to stress. For me personally my chest tightens, I feel anxious, and get headaches. 

However, there are many ways to reduce stress, but it never fully goes away; usually it gets replaced by another stressor. Some ways to reduce stress is to face it in a tactful way. I personally choose to make a todo list and make things off as I go. This way I know what I need to do and how much I have todo. My planner, as if you couldn't tell from my earlier post is my life and a great way for me to keep up with my lists. Others the presenter advised were to workout or get physical activity in one way or another, take fun breaks, breath, and face one thing at a time not thinking of what is to come, so not to distract your attention.

Focusing on one task at a time may seem obvious, but the way she explained it put it into perspective. She compared our attention to that of a new puppy, we go from one thing to another then back and forth not really getting as much done as we could if we focused little by little. For example, if you are reading for a class and have 15 pages, take it one page at a time, don't think of all the other classes you have t read for or you will miss it. Train the puppy mindedness to be in control.

Taking time for you was another great suggestion. After focusing on your work, or other people for extended periods of time take time to do something you like. Go watch movie on Netflix, take a walk, get coffee. This will help you want to get your tasks don because you are getting "rewarded", but also gives you a break in the middle allowing you to redirect your thoughts.

Stress is a part of life, but can be manageable, you just need to know how to handle it!