Dealing with Stress

So I have been missing from the internet for several weeks now, and the reason is I have been losing my mind.

It is currently exam/deadline time for students across the globe and it. Is. Stressful!

Now for the past few weeks I've been scrambling to get the last of my deadlines done and dusted, and just as it began to feel like I was on top of everything and had everything under control, I realised how thick and fast exams were coming in.

I am really bad for panicking about things; always have been and most probably always will be. Now this obviously isn't a good trait to have, but over the years I have been able to find some really good anti-stress tips which help make things seem less daunting and more manageable!

Tip 1) Stay Organised!

Now this probably doesn't come under the heading "dealing with stress" but staying organised is often a key preventer of stress, or at the very least a way to minimise stress, but it is also so simple! Staying organised is such an easy thing to do, though a lot of the time we categorise it as being too time consuming. However! Something as simple as keeping a work diary where you can categorise all you classes/ appointments/ dates/ movie nights allows you to see how much time you're actually leaving yourself to get work done. You can also use this to set targets of what work you want to complete each day, and by sticking to it you're already a million times more set than before, and it saves pulling your hair out at 3am the day you have a deadline because you forgot about it!

Tip 2) Don't Forget About Yourself!

We've all been in that situation when you're practically swimming in homework and deadlines and it feels like you haven't got a spare second to blink let alone anything else. One thing that is vital to being a functioning human being is to RELAX! I know this is farrrr easier said than done but you cannot neglect your sanity for the sake of an extra 20 minutes of work getting done. No. You just can't. Have you ever heard the quote, "If you don't have time to meditate for 20 minutes, meditate for an hour."? I don't know who said it but that is some truth right there. I'm not saying you have to meditate but take half an hour out of your schedule to listen to music, watch an episode of your favourite show or read a book. You will be 100 times more productive and chilled out if you look after yourself and take time to regain your sanity (and let those clumps of hair grow back in).

Tip 3) Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

So you're half way to school/ work and you've just noticed a MASSIVE stain smack bang in the middle of your shirt, you realise you've forgotten your purse so have to make do without lunch, you realise you forgot to bring your memory stick with your ever-so-important presentation due today, and just as you're walking home the heavens open and you get soaked. It is everybody's natural response in situations like this to crawl into bed, pull the duvet over your head and wish that the world would fade away. In these situations all you have to ask yourself is does it really matter? Yesterday I had a day very similar to that mentioned above, but I also broke my phone by dropping it down the toilet and had to sit 2 assessments. Dire, right? But just as I was getting myself into a tizzy over it all I realied none of it mattered. Honestly, none of it. So what, my friends had a joke at my expense for being a bit messy, I had to postpone lunch for a couple of hours til I got home, I had to do my presentation the next day, and I had to have a nice, long, hot shower when I got in the door. Sure it's a bummer to break your phone but it's easy enough (and actually quite theraputic) to live without one for a few days, and in regard to the assessments, even if I failed, so what? I can resit. There is no point in making your day worse by feeling miserabe and dwelling on it all, just realise it doesn't matter.

Tip 4) Do Something You Love!

If Tip 3 didn't help and you're still in a huff with the kind of day you've had, take your mind off it by doing something you love. Whether that's a night in on the sofa watching movies, going bowling with your best friends, or dancing around your room to your favourite songs, just do it! It won't erase the things that happened that day but it will take your mind off everything and make you happy. When you're doing something you love all of your worries just melt away. I mean seriously, who can be in a bad mood when "Crazy in Love" is playing?! 

These are just a few of my tips to refocus yourself when you feel like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders. If this helps at least one person then I'm happy :)

Talk to you again soon! 

Frey x