May 16

May 16 How to Deal With Stress

What are you stressed about?

Summer plans
Getting a job
Getting into grad school
Summer internship
Getting a hot summer bea
Living with your parents again

I'll be honest with you guys, I HATE stress, and I try to avoid any drama, but stress is a part of life that can't be avoided. One day I told my mom that I was stressed and she said "Ori you're an African, stop getting easily stressed".

Africans have a history of surviving highly stressful circumstances, or maybe we are good at masking our stress and putting on a brave face. Either way, what my mom said stuck with me, and made me think about why I get easily stressed. Personally I think that I get stressed over simple things because I'm lazy and dealing with stress requires effort. Buts I'm learning how to manage life's stressors, and I hope this helps you.

Here are a couple do's and don'ts about dealing with stress.

Do's:

Take a break Take a short break from whatever you're doing and rest a little. Taking a breather helps to refresh your mind, and it will help you refocus when you get back to it. One time I was studying with my friends and we set a timer, after 30 minutes of studying, we would take a twerking break. It helped.

Treat yourself Of course when treating yourself make sure you have actually earned that treat, like you did something productive. A treat can be whatever makes you happy or relaxed. I love food, dancing and shopping.

Take 3 deep breaths The central nervous system can't be in a state of tension and relaxation at the same time, so if you take a few deep breaths, you're litterally forcing your body to camle down. It works, I promise.

Don'ts:

Continuously complain I'm a chronic complainer and all that does is put me in a bad mood, and prevent me from noticing when things are going well. Complianing has no purpose, it just gives you a negative perspective.

Jump to horrible conclusions It's so easy to think the worst when stressful things happen. Don't assume that things will spiral downward, but be realistic about your situation. Megan Carson, told me that when she starts to worry, she creates what if scenarios in her mind. But she realized that, in the same way she thinks "what if something bad happens" she can also think "what if God does something great". We can choose to see the positive or the negative in our situation.