Stress Management

I'll let some personal information slip because it's relevant to this blog.

I'm a college student. I am taking 12 hours this semester and working full time to pay for my education. Can you say, "Stress"? At the beginning of this semester, I was really struggling with everything I was trying to do. I had no time to hang out with my friends or go out or just relax. My relaxing time was when I slept.

My problem was I wasn't organized.

Organization is the key to managing a full schedule. I figured out exactly how much time I had to do everything in one week, then divided up all my items on the agenda into time slots. Once I figured out how much time I had between school, work, and sleep, I was able to arrange time to finish all of my homework and get a few hours of free time to do whatever I wanted. I was actually able to go to lunch with a friend the other day and just have fun.

I know I'm not the only college student out there that's taking a full load and working full time. I mean, I know some people who have to do all that and take care of their kids at the same time. Compared to those people, I have it easy, and I applaud their character and determination.

If things become too difficult for you when it comes to stressing out over everything you have to do, just take a step back, take a deep breath, and then try to arrange everything on a time schedule. I know sometimes having things on a schedule doesn't help a lot because "things never go according to schedule," but it sure does make things a heck of a lot easier to keep up with. Maybe just making a list of everything you have to do would suffice to help.
Just keep this in mind when you feel like pulling your hair out over everything you have to do:

You're not alone out there. There's always someone else who's going through the same thing you are. If they can do it, why not YOU? Prove to the world that you're just as strong and determined as the next person. No, prove to the world that you're strongER and MORE determined than the next person. I know you have it in you to do that.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about this entry, so please comment! I know there's more advice out there about stress management, and if you know what it is, please tell me how you do it. I want to hear your thoughts and ideas.