The “S” Word

By: Kalen Schou

When you read the title, what came to your mind? I can tell you what came to my mind and it probably isn’t what came to yours. You were probably thinking of something we aren’t supposed to say or a naughty three-letter word. Want to know what came to my mind? Stress.  And if you were thinking anything else, then shame on you. Get your mind out of the gutter! 🙂

To me, stress is probably the worst “s” word out there. I think that we can all attest to the fact that stress is awful. Maybe even the worst thing ever… Well, okay, maybe not the worse thing ever, but it is pretty bad. In my opinion, stress is probably one of the unhealthiest things that we allow our bodies to endure. Sometimes we can control it, but other times we have no say. We may not notice it, but stress affects every aspect of our lives. Think about it. We don’t get enough sleep, we eat poorly, our minds are constantly consumed with things that need to be done, and we get irritable and annoyed with things that don’t normally annoy us. Our lives are negatively affected physically, mentally, and emotionally all at the same time. It’s bad when just one of those is out of whack, but when all three of them are, it’s safe to say that we aren’t the most desirable people to be around. Hopefully, I’ll be able to give tips on how to manage stress in a way that won’t stress you out even more than you already are!

Tip 1: Sleep

Getting enough sleep is one of the most important things that we can do to remain healthy. Without proper sleep, we become irritable, we easily lose focus, we have no energy, and we fall victim to sickness. Now, if you’re like me, you love to sleep. Sleeping is probably my favorite activity of the day. Now whether I get the opportunity to sleep or not is a different story. Between school, work, and extracurricular activities during the day, and then homework/studying, cooking/eating dinner, cleaning my apartment and catching up on my favorite TV shows at night, I begin to wonder how I even find time to sleep at all. Even if you don’t think that you have time to sleep because you have a ton of homework or you just have too much to do, make time to sleep. Your body will shut down without enough sleep and trust me, that’s the last thing you need when you have a lot on your plate. Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night. I made a promise to myself that I would be in bed by 12 every weeknight, and so far, I’ve kept that promise. I cannot tell you how much better I feel and how much energy I have all because I allow myself to sleep. If you’re up late working on something, put it down and wake up in the morning to finish it. You’ll do a better job if you’re properly rested. If you don’t already know, the moral of the story is to sleep, even if that means you have to make yourself sleep. Being exhausted will only cause more stress, but if you are well rested then you will have more energy to tackle all of the things that need to be done.

Tip 2: Exercise

We’ve all heard that exercising allows our bodies to release endorphins. This is true, and that’s why exercising is one of the best things you can do to help manage stress. Normally, if you have a lot to do or a lot on your mind, you aren’t in the greatest of moods. You’re too focused on getting done what needs to get done and worried that it won’t all get done on time. Exercising will put you in a better mood and it will energize your body to give you more motivation to get everything done. It doesn’t have to take long, and there are a lot of things you can do. Go for a short jog or take the dog for a walk. If you have time to go to the gym then go. You can let your frustration out on the machines and you can sweat it all out. It’s also a great time to think. While you’re running on the treadmill, it’s just you and your thoughts. Use that time to ponder everything that needs pondering so you don’t get distracted while you’re busy doing everything else. Take the time to release those endorphins. You’ll be in a better mood and you’ll have a better attitude to get things done.

Tip 3: Schedule

Scheduling out your day or week is one of the hardest things to do for someone who hasn’t been doing it their entire life. It’s a tough habit to begin, but once you start, your stress level will go down tremendously. Take 30 minutes or so on a Sunday and look up everything that you have to do for the week. Look up when you have to be at work, what homework you have and when it’s due, and anything else that takes up time and could potentially make you stressed out. Set aside time every day to get things done, and make sure you leave yourself enough time to get them done. If that means that you have to record your favorite TV show then record it. Just because it’s Wednesday and your homework isn’t due until Monday doesn’t mean that you have to wait until Sunday night to do it because you might have homework that’s assigned on Friday that’s also due on Monday. Try to not save everything until the last minute. This is something that I’ve struggled with because I’m the ultimate procrastinator. I started scheduling out my weeks this semester, and the schedule helps me stay on track and to get everything done early or on time so I’m not doing it all at once. That being said, don’t be so strict with your schedule that you refuse to change it. Stuff happens and things come up. Be willing to rearrange it if necessary. Organizing your time and being aware of what you have coming up makes life a little easier and definitely helps manage the stress.

Tip 4: Take a break

Sometimes we get so caught up in the chaos and everything that needs to be done that we don’t give ourselves a break. If you’ve been studying for hours, take a break. Your brain could use it. Sometimes our bodies need a 15 or 20 minute break. By giving ourselves a break, we allow ourselves to relax and take our minds off of everything. Now, I’m not saying go take a 4 hour-long break just because you don’t want to work anymore. That would just be wasting time which would make you more stressed by the time your started working again. But it is okay to sit down and watch TV for a little bit. If you’ve been inside all day, go outside for a walk or sit on the back porch and eat a snack. By giving our brains a break, we are able to unwind and return to our work with a rejuvenated spirit.

Tip 5: Eat Healthy

When we get stressed, it seems like we don’t have time to do anything, and that includes eating properly. Let’s be honest, when we have a ton of stuff to, the last thing we think we have time for is cooking dinner. Instead, we settle for ordering in or running through a drive thru. It’s quick, easy, and normally pretty cheap. But while we may be saving time, we aren’t doing anything to help with the stress. If our bodies are not fed properly then they begin to shut down. Ever notice how bad you feel after eating that value size meal from a greasy fast food restaurant? Once isn’t that bad, but if it becomes a habit during a stressful week then we will begin to feel sick all of the time. If we feel sick then we are less likely to do what we need to do. You don’t have to slave over a gourmet meal, but there are simple, healthy options that can be made at home that don’t take up too much time. Trust me, your body will thank you at the end of that week.

Stress is never going to go away, but there are ways to manage it so it doesn’t completely take over our lives. There are many ways to handle it and everyone has their preferred method. Hopefully these tips will help give you ideas on how to healthily manage your stress so that those stressful weeks will be a little bit less stressful.