This past week was busy, like really busy. I think the last time I was this busy was the week before my capstone show last November. And even that might take a second place to this week, which is really saying something. Capstone is a lot of work, and I didn’t make that whole process easy on myself at all.
It all hit me on Sunday morning during church. I had committed to do way too many things in a week, and I hadn’t accounted for the fact that I was graduating, and receiving an award and would like to celebrate both of those things at some point. Silly Francyne. So I got out a pen and paper and started to write it all out, day by day.
It was terribly overwhelming in my brain, and it was a little less than terribly overwhelming on paper. And the hardest part was that it was all things I really wanted to do, things I was genuinely excited about. So weeding out the non-essentials wasn’t really an option. I realized that my week was going to be insane, and I was just going to have to mentally prepare myself for that.
Getting stressed out is an easy response to difficulty.
I’ve seen it happen so many times, and I’ve lived it out so many times. Stress induced pleurisy? Check. Mild hair loss? Check. Constant misplacing of everything important you own? Check. Crying in your car because you don’t know how you’re going to make it through the week without disappointing someone? Check. Neglecting to eat? Check.
I sort of had a little bit of an epiphany my last semester of school. I was stressed, and I had a lot of work ahead of me with not a lot of time to do it. I literally didn't have time to waste by stressing out about things, I just needed to get to work. So when people would ask me how I was doing, because students in capstone always seem to be mildly frantic…thus the caring questions, I would always tell them that I was busy, and I had a lot left to do, but I was doing well.
How you respond to stressful situations is really key. You can either fuel the fire or work to contain it. It’s called being proactive or reactive (sorry for the business-y words…I’ve watched the antics of Jack Donaghey on 30 Rock way too much this week…Synergy?). You can look at your situation in utter horror and frustration, freak out all over the place and make your friends hate you because you are a ticking time bomb…Okay, that was a bit dramatic, but maybe not too far off. Or you can take it all one step at a time, remember to breathe and take care in talking through the issues you are facing.
I mean, Jesus even talks about this…so it must be important.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:34 NIV)
So you see what I mean. You can waste your time stressing out over circumstances that you can’t change, or you can spend your time working efficiently to lighten your load, little by little.
Here are some things that help me when I’m stressed:
1. Write it all down.
Give your brain a little bit of a rest by taking some time to process and prepare. Someone once told me that you never regret preparing for something, and I've never forgotten that. Physically writing things out helps me to remember things and helps me to start the process of getting work done. So get out a piece of paper and start preparing, yo.
2. Try not to lose insane amounts of sleep unless absolutely nessacery.
Emotional upheaval in the life of Francyne means that she needs more sleep. I try not to do this to my friends, so it's really important that I get mild to adequate amounts of sleep. There is an exception to every rule (or small piece of advice), sometimes you need to loose sleep to get a project done. And I like it best when I lose track of time and a project makes me lose sleep when I'm not even trying.
3. Treat yourself.
Sometimes it's best to change scenery, so get up early and treat yourself to breakfast. Breakfast is good for you.
4. Be careful who you talk to.
When you are stressed out, it's not good to spend a lot of time with people who can get you worked up easily (I'm incredibly easy going... So it does take a lot.) just be aware of who you are spending your time with, and if they are helping your situation are hurting you.
5. Don’t procrastinate, get to work.
'nuff said. Moving on.
6. Don’t be afraid to be boring for a little bit, sometimes you need it.
Sometimes you need to go home early to get stuff done, and that's okay.
7. Celebrate the little victories along the way.
Buy yourself celebratory stickers if you need to.
8. Take care of yourself.
This one is really important, because hospital bills are expensive. Drink water, take vitamins, eat vegetables from time to time, sleep. Neglecting to do these things is not good for your health.
9. Focus on life giving activities during your free time.
I tend to get more frustrated if I attempt to do things that already frustrate me if I'm in the middle of a busy season. So focus on activities that bring you a lot of life when you have some free time. Nature walks are a personal favorite of mine.
10. Breathe.
You're going to be okay. Busy seasons don't last forever. Keep going, and keep breathing.
Remember, take it one step at a time.