(a) put my current state of mind into some sort of perspective and;
(b) help me procrastinate just a little bit more (because we all know that's fun!)
The Three Stages of Stress
- Mildly worried
This is the stage where things are beginning to pile up but that day on which three of your assignments are due is still relatively far away so it doesn't seem so bad...
- Stressed to the point of nervous breakdown
Alright so this is a bit of a jump and should, by rights, be the final stage... I thought it was as well until this week, but I'll get to that in a second... This is the point at which everything becomes just too overwhelming. Assignment D-Day is rapidly approaching and it's not looking like they're going to be done in time. Panic decends and all one really wants to do is curl up in a corner and stay there until it's all over. This stage is usually accompanied by emotional, teary calls to the one's mother who really can't do anything to help but can at least knock some sort of sense into your panic-clouded brain. Yep... this is where I was a few days ago...
- Stressed beyond the point of nervous breakdown
This, I have to say, is my current state of mind. I am beyond the point of caring about the fact that I'm stressed. So much so that I appear completely nonchalant and well-adjusted when really, if I stop to think about it, I'm even more panicked and jumpy than I was when I made that phone-call at 11:00pm... I mean, think about it; I have an exam today that I only began studying for last night and what am I doing? Blogging!
Actually, I told someone about my crazy week and the amount of work I had to do and he laughed at me when I said I was stressed beyond all reason... huh - go figure
And while the final stage may seem wonderful and a marked improvement on the second, let me tell youl; it's not. I think I'd rather be in blind panic than total apathy - at least I'd be a little more concerned about the work I need to get done...
*sigh*
It's at times like this that I am immensely thankful that I have a God I can lean on - it's so comforting to know that even if I stuff everything up, I'll still be a beloved child of God - nothing's going to change that. As Jesus said;
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
1 comment:
Joh, my dear...
You really must have been in apathy if I didn't even notice.
I handle stress in such a different way to you. I tend to ignore it and occasionally it escapes in verbal "argh"s or hitting my desk or dancing. I pretty much just go crazy.
But here's some practical tips that usually help me to manage uni work and, consequently, stress:
- write detailed to do lists - break up tasks into small portions and cross them off as you do a little bit. If you just write, for example, "Phys chem assignment", its going to seem huge and you won't feel like you're making progress.
- set an alram for one hour and don't leave your desk until it goes off. Going to the tiolet is NOT an excuse to leave the desk.
- take small breaks and do something in your breaks. Put on a load of washing, put away clean clothes, tidy the floor, write an email to a friend, walk around the block. Set a task that you can get done in ten minutes, do it, then get back to work.
- set a realistic study schedule. Write out how many spare hours you have in a day available for uni work and decide how many hours you want to work each day. If the schedule is not realistic, you'll just continually feel bad that you couldn't keep to it.
- Just do it! Nothing beats diving in head first and just tackling that assignment or study. Often it seems so much bigger in your brain than it really is. Jesus did say that we can't add an hour to our life by worrying. Consider this, that worrying will certianly take hours from our life.
Hope that helps!
Jess xx
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