We all deal with it. It’s part of our everyday lives. It’s part of our humanity. It’s how we’re wired.
Bad things happen. We get stressed. Simple as that.
There’s really no way around it. There are some people out there who say, “Oh, I’ve learned how to not get stressed when things go wrong.” And you know what I say back?
“You’re lying.”
I don’t care who you are–if you’re not getting stressed (even just a little) ever in your life, then you’re not human. The trick isn’t not getting stressed. That’s impossible. The trick is learning how to effectively deal will stress.
If you would have met me five years ago when I was a junior in high school (holy crap, that was five years ago?!?!)…you would have known a girl who had not yet learned how to deal with stress effectively. I mean, compared to my life right now, back then I didn’t even truly know what stress was. But even so, the little bit of stress that I was experiencing was enough to leave me in a frazzled state.
I mean, guys…this wasn’t just me having emotional breakdowns every other day like a normal dramatic teenage girl. It got so bad once that I started to get chest pain and had difficulty breathing right (on top of the emotional breakdowns). It wasn’t anything to go to the hospital over, but geeez! I was a hot mess, plain and simple. And at that point, I knew something was wrong with me and that I had to find a way to handle life better.
And over the years, I’ve come up with a few little techniques that work pretty well for me and compiled some of them in this nice little list.
(Disclaimer: I’m a Communication Studies major at a state school, NOT a med student. This list is nothing more than the random things that this quirky college student does to keep herself sane. If you’d like to try them for yourself, do so at your own risk)
1. Breathe. Well, this one’s kind of important for everyone.
2. Laugh. I know it’s usually the last thing anyone wants to do when they’re super stressed. But the way I see it, it’s either this or break down crying in front of everyone around me. And I’m pretty sure that embarrassing myself by crying in front of strangers would just cause me more stress. And make me cry more…
3. COFFEE! Okay, some may argue that the caffeine actually makes you more on edge and stressed. But for me, coffee is the thing that keeps me functioning so that I can think clearly enough to do the other techniques on this list. So what if I’m a little shaky? At least I’m getting stuff done.
4. Sing. If you’re a good singer, you can do this anytime. If you’re like me, save it for the morning commute in your car where no one else can hear you. It’s amazing how singing a favorite song of mine can lift my spirits and calm me down…especially when the music’s so loud that I can’t hear myself.
5. Perspective. When you’re in the middle of a very stressful event, it can be very easy for you to start to feel like the world is ending. You just don’t know how you’re going to get this done on time or how you’re going to survive the whole ordeal if you do get it done on time. Pretty soon, you start looking to the sky expecting the second coming.
That’s when I stop, take a deep breath, and think about just how little my problem actually is. I think about past stressful times in my life and how they are now just memories that I laugh at because it really wasn’t that bad and things could be a heck of a whole lot worse. I tell myself that if I’m going to laugh about it someday, why not start now? And that’s when I go back to technique #2.
6. Planner. This one probably applies more to students than anyone else. But hey, some people could use a planner to budget time in everyday life, too. No judgment.
But if you’re like me, you can keep track of all of the assignments you need to get done in your head. You’d also be a professional procrastinator as well, but that’s not my point. There are rare occasions, however, when I can’t keep everything straight on my own (aka: FINALS WEEK). That’s when I whip out my handy dandy planner that has been empty for the past 6 months, and lay out everything I need to do and budget my time accordingly. Then I lose the planner for another 6 months until the next finals week.
7. Write. Okay, well…if you like to write. But what I really mean by this technique is “do something that makes you happy.” It doesn’t have to be anything really complicated or time-consuming–not even something that requires a whole lot of thought or energy. It could be as simple as coloring (because that makes everyone’s day a million times better–really). Just do something that makes you happy, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Because a few minutes of happiness within the constant depression of stress may just be the thing that keeps you sane through it all.
So, for all you college students out there getting ready for finals week or even those of you who are just plain ol’ stressed–if you think one of these might help you out, give it a shot.
If not, well…get creative. Because although a little bit of stress isn’t always a bad thing, it gets bad when you don’t know how to deal with it in a productive and healthy way. Find your techniques, and use them when needed.
Now excuse me while I go grab my fourth cup of coffee for the morning.
Brianna Lee Kauffman 