The idea behind this post is very simple, I'm just going to explain ways in which I have reduced stress for myself, particularly in an educational and work environment.
The key to reducing stress is to stop doing what makes you stressed, in theory it sounds easy but in practice it can be very difficult. If you are stressed with the amount of work you get at school, you obviously can't just stop doing work- partly because you'll get in trouble, but partly because it'll make you even more stressed when you finally start again and realise you have so much more work than you did before.
One way that I've reduced my stress levels is to make lists and timetables. Making lists is easy- I simply write down what I need to do and cross it off as I do it. Not only does this give me a physical view of what I need to do, but I can also keep track easily of what I've done and so pace myself accordingly. Making timetables is something else that has helped me. They're not always neat and don't make sense to everyone, but I write down what I need to do and give myself a time to do it from and until. So, let's say I have a few things to do, I'd write down something like:
9:00-10:00 - clean room
10:15- 11:15 - subject 1- homework
11:20- 12:00 - subject 2- essay
12:00- 13:00 - lunch
Obviously my timetables are not exactly like that, as they contain more details of what I have to do, and I don't always include the task end times, but hopefully you understand what I mean now. Also, it's important to include little breaks if you're doing homework- your mind needs a rest.
When I have a lot of work to do at college, I always create lists or timetables to allow me to get through what I need to do in the time that I have to do it. I'm also very good at getting work done usually on the day that it is given to me, so I think that's a huge reason as to why my stress levels can remain low through periods when I have a lot of work, so if you're the type of person who usually does work at the last minute and you get stressed about it easily, try your hardest to get it done as soon as possible. Go into the library at school or college and get an hour of work out of the way, and then that gives you an extra hour in the evening to relax.
If you're doing your work early but you're still stressed about it, speak to your teacher. It may seem scary to do this because you might think that they'll just shout at you but they will try to help you through it. They may say that you can leave one or two pieces of work until you have less work to do in your other subjects and do it then. You will most likely still have to do the work, but they may extend the due date for you. It's just important to be honest with your teachers. Doing many subjects and getting work for each one soon adds up and it can be too much for some people at certain times, so your teachers will understand if you have to focus more on one subject than another at one point in time, for example, if you have a deadline for one subject, your other teachers will be a bit more lenient with you and when you give your work in.
I do not have as much experience in a work environment as in an educational environment, but when I become stressed at work, I simply push through until I have a chance to have at least a one minute break, and then if I can, I will try to temporarily change what task I'm doing to one that means I can avoid the stress for at least a minute or two. That small amount of time to just relax a bit does help me a lot.
One thing I do know is that in order to reduce stress, you must reduce contact with what stresses you. So, if you have a friend who is adding to your stress- tell them that just for now, you need a little break from speaking to them in order to do whatever you need to do. They should understand and will be happily waiting for you to return to being able to speak to them. Also, they may notice that you're stressed and just find your easier to speak to when you're not stressed, so they may welcome you to have a little break and then feel a lot better about speaking to when you return feeling less stressed.
The final piece of advice I can give you is taking care of yourself: eating healthily, drinking water, exercising a little bit, such as going for a short walk each day, and getting enough sleep will do absolute wonders in reducing your stress levels. Along with this, you may also want to do things such as having baths at the end of a long day, lighting scented candles, watching your favourite movie or tv show and just spending the evening relaxing. This will reduce your stress as well as make you feel more prepared for the next day of life and doing whatever you need to do.
I'll just quickly share some of my 'DO's and 'DON'T's of reducing stress...
DO take time out to relax
DO speak to someone you trust and tell them that you're feeling stressed
DO put yourself first when you need to
DO keep yourself healthy through eating well, etc
DON'T get angry at yourself: the stressful situation won't last forever
DON'T try to take your stress out on yourself: physical or mental harm to yourself will only make the situation worse as it'll just add another thing to be stressed about
DON'T avoid chances to relax of just have a break: your mind and body need a rest
DON'T avoid the work you need to get done: it needs to be done at some point, don't put it off all together
No comments:
Post a Comment