''In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers" - Fred 'Mister" Rogers
Hello lovelies, thank you for joining me again on another blogpost!!! I have always wanted to start a post with that ^.^ and now we have 'done did 'it, life goes on hunnay! I really hope you are doing great and gearing up to the end of the year and the beginning of an even better one? So your girl has been stressed and guess what she does she decides to write about stress. Definitely a great de-stresser ! Lmao...Anywho considering that this is finals week/ dead week/ week where sleep becomes irrelevant, here's a little something about stress and some suggestions to keep us sane and strong. So we are not like fish out of water but instead are like plants being watered and cared for so we could thrive and flourish and actually be coherent enough to take these finals and take each day at a time.
In today's world we realize that we are always running on some kind of tense energy because we feel that there is so much to do in such short time, we worry constantly be it about grades, finances, family relationships or even about the future. We are never fully relaxed and present. We don't really see the effect till we realize that we are always tired and drained, feel like we are lacking motivation and realize that our eating, sleeping and even living patterns are messed up and we feel displaced and misplaced . For real, I m thinking too much now, but here are 6 top suggestions more geared towards students for now about dealing with stress. Let me know if you like this enough to want to read one that deals more with life in general. Enjoy!
1) Stop and take a breath
Yes it sounds easy like 'who can even go without stopping?' But really, many times we keep on going and going till we realize that we are burned out and cant keep moving. But if we become more intentional about pausing to see and feel and stop our limbs from racing, we feel more settled and capable of taking on the next task with renewed energy because we can reevaluate and plan the next course of action .
2) Sleep
I remembered hearing when I first got to college that 'sleep is for the week' I was just like 'Hian...me that like my sleep enough to consider even picking it above food cos I don't get enough at the right time'. But with time, I started seeing why, from sleepless nights, to nights spent writing papers and nights where the mind couldn't just shut down and be silent. And most times we underestimate the benefits of sleep from retaining and recalling information better, to more energy. Most importantly, the eyes stay open during exams and you don't have to take a nap in the middle cos the brain is literally blank #story for another day
3)Drink water and avoid stress eating
This one is really a big one for me and some of the people I am close too because we have all been victims of this like literally I just did this last week. There really is nothing to feel bad for as we are all human beings and have our moments. But it becomes a problem when it becomes a regular outlet for uncomfortable emotions. Being a constant prey to this, I have realized that being able to identify the emotion one is feeling and the source of it eg: stressed from undone work helps to avoid eating to evade confronting emotions. Also, with everything happening it iseasier to skip meals and just live on chips and soda. Imagine eating an actual meal and drinking water which i believe clears the brain fog ( maybe its just me o), then maybe 2cookies, you will definitely feel better, stronger and your mood and body will thank you for it , so will your focus and ability to concenterate
4) Exercise
You don't really need to go to the gym and bench 100pounds for this because sincerely not everyone got time for that. But right there in your room, take a break and have a dance party and dance your heart and stress out. Take a walk, stand up stretch but keep moving because sincerely that's the best we could do so that your body constantly feels alive and a change of scenery sometimes is all you need to finally focus and get that concept.
5) Give yourself some grace and be kind to you
Its really easy to beat ourselves up especially if things don't go the way we planned or its simply not sticking the way we want. Give it your best shot, and leave the rest knowing that you did your best and that will always be the best thing. So whether or not things go as planned keep moving to be a better version of yourself and remember you are on a journey to completion. And simply put, remember to treat yourself the same way you will treat a dear friend you care about and wont want to hurt because sometimes we are even kinder to our friends than ourselves so be kind to yourself ok?
6) REFLECT, DRINK SOME TEA AND COFFEE IF YOU LIKE BUT NOT ENOUGH TO BE DRUNK ON CAFFEINE OR ANY OTHER SUBSTANCE
Really there's not much to be said about this, but when the temptation to take that 10th cup of coffee or caffeinated tea comes...Run honey run, ok I am kidding but for the sake of the normal functioning of your body, be moderate okay. And if you want to have that extra cup of wine or bottle of beer because finals is kicking your ass. Honey run and let moderation govern your actions. Lastly, let your mind start the day in peace, instead of jumping up once you wakeup because of so many things you have to do. Stop yourself close your eyes for one minute take a deep breath in silence and let your mind start on a calm note and your body will thank you for it.
Thank you for reading to this point lovely and I know this are things that somehow we know but if you need a break or a reminder, your girl got you. Let me know if you relate to any of these or say hi when you read this. Have a wonderful week ahead, go kill that finals and keep the hustle alive. Bringing you some more mushy holiday vibes next time.
Much love always,
Mirabel ^.^