Five Things to Do When Stressed

What happened to August?

It's crazy to think that summer is ending.  I'm sad to see it go, since I know as soon as the first snow hits I am going to miss sunny skies and perfect, 70 degree weather.  I'm going to miss ice cold Arnold Palmers on the porch and late nights cruising with friends around town.  I am DEFINITELY going to miss sleeping in.  

However, I am excited for the upcoming fall.  Every now and then you can feel the autumn chill in the air.  It reminds me of pumpkins, dried corn, apple cider and colored leaves.  Oh, and pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks.  Can't forget those!

However fall starting means school, which means homework and projects and after-school activities.  Its easy to get overwhelmed.  Here are a few of my own tips on what to do when you get stressed out during this school year:

1. Organize and Re-group

When you feel overwhelmed, you won't be productive no matter how hard you're working.  Take a pause and re-group.  Look over your schedule for the next few days.  Determine what is the highest on your priority list.  Is there a major history test in two days?  Then those French flash cards for next Friday can definitely wait.  Have a major project or paper due in two weeks?  Decide what you will work on each day.  My dad used to tell me this saying all the time when I would get overwhelmed: 

"Inch by inch its a cinch.  Yard by yard its hard."

Trying to do everything at once will just stress you out - plus you won't get nearly as much done.  Take a breather, open your planner, and break up that mountain of papers and deadlines into smaller, bite-sized chunks you can handle.  Also, don't try and tackle the hardest tasks first.  Knock out the smaller, easier ones so your list will begin to shrink and you will see progress.  

2.  Get Sweaty

I don't know about y'all, but when there is a lot on my mind (papers, tests, projects, homework, social activities, you name it) I tend to stay awake an hour after lying down to sleep thinking about all I still have to do.  Don't let yourself lose an hour of sleep over what you have to do tomorrow!  Every day, either before you go to sleep or when you start to feel overwhelmed, try to exercise for thirty minutes.  That can either be blasting your favorite music and dancing, running or biking.  It doesn't matter as long as it gets your heart rate up and your adrenaline pumping.  Once your done, you'll return to your work refreshed, more focused and you'll be asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

3. Paint Your Nails

Sometimes you just need to stop working on whatever and have a little "me" time.  Pick your favorite color, sit down with some music and paint your nails.  You'll be surprised how much better you'll feel whenever you look down and see your favorite color glittering back up at you.

4.  Drink Some Hot Tea

Sometimes all you need is tea.  A hot cup of tea can do wonders.  It can refresh you with its heat.  Its herbal qualities can calm your nerves which can leave you more focused and it can invigorate you for a few more hours of cram time.   To calm nerves and reduce anxiety caused by long "To-Do" lists, drink some chamomile tea.  Another one of my favorites is black tea - it has just enough caffeine to give you a little jolt, but not enough to make you jittery.  Its herbal qualities also calm anxiety and help you focus!

5.  Take A Nap
A common (and stupid!) mistake that many students make during school is deciding to throw sleep out the window when deadlines begin to pile up.  This practice will hurt your grades, activities and health if practiced for a long time.  To be able to concentrate and understand your studies, you need to sleep.  Cognitive function is the first thing your body will stop supporting when it is running on little energy.  Just like you shouldn't drive when you're drowsy, you shouldn't try and cram when you can barely keep your eyes open.

To help with this, set your alarm and take a 20 minute power nap.  You'll wake up refreshed and ready for a power study session, but you won't affect your normal sleep schedule.  It will also help with stress, as situations often are magnified by exhaustion.  When you wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, you'll be able to assess the situation clearly and understand what exactly you need to do.

What are your daily de-stressing routines?
-xx, Beccy