No matter what your day to day schedule looks like, there is most likely an element of stress involved. Coping with stress is not easy and can take time to master, but sometimes you just need a place to start. I’m going to give you my best tips for managing stress.

A lot of what stress can root from is time management and keeping yourself balanced. I find that having a daily to-do, a weekly checklist, and a monthly calendar. I like to use the to-do list to write down things that I need to get done in one day to keep myself on top of my work. I use the weekly checklist to space out big deadlines and to write down things that I would like to get done that week, like changing my sheets or cleaning my bathroom. As for my monthly calendar, I use this to write down big events happening that month so that I have things to look forward to as well as to remind myself of what I have in the coming days. All three of these things can help limit your stress and help you feel more prepared for the take on each day.

Another important aspect of stress management is taking care of yourself. Sometimes I find it helpful to think of self-care time as an assignment; this forces me to block off time for me. If you aren’t setting aside time in your day to do what you want and to take care of yourself, it can be really difficult to stay focused on the tasks you have to do for others. 

While I do love filling my schedule, not every second has to be filled with something. Learn that it is ok to have downtime and to take some time to rest. Give yourself breaks throughout the day as well as some off days. If you have 30 minutes of downtime between classes and you don’t do your homework, it’s hard to not get mad at yourself. However, learn that that downtime can be just as valuable as a class or a meeting.  

Something that I always do is assume that my schedule will always go perfectly as planned, however, this can lead to a lot of stress. Sometimes I will block off 30 minutes of time for an assignment and it ends up taking an hour. This then throws my schedule off and really stresses me out. Instead, I, one, try not to give certain time frames to assignments, and two, I try to be forgiving to myself and my schedule and understand it is definitely subject to change.

While I did just say I try not to assign a task a certain amount of time, I do find it helpful to split it up into timed chunks. For example, if I have a really long assignment I will do around 20 minutes of work with no distractions and then take a five minute break and then resume. This can be helpful for tackling big tasks.

I hope at least one of these tips was helpful for you. Just remember, you are human and you don’t have to do it all. 

Till next Sunday,

Daisy