Hey Guys,

A really quick post today as I have two assignments that are due tomorrow that are finished but so terribly done that a lot of reworking needs to occur and in a miracle amount of time! I thought this may be an appropriate time to throw up some of the tips I have for how I survive the stress of study.

1. Exercise – probably one of the most useful things you can do and yet the one I do least! Trying to fit in 20 minutes of exercise even in the stressed out study times for a bit of yoga or a quick jog can make such a difference. For me, it means I come back to study feeling refreshed and less stressed. I know there is a whole lot of science behind why exercise makes us feel so incredible but all I know is that for me it works and is worth the bit of effort to do.

2. Take breaks… I know it’s obvious but taking short and regular breaks is so important to functioning on a high level. Staring at something for 2 hours straight in order to get it done just doesn’t work (for me at least) and a break to refresh and come back with some new ideas or a new perspective is super helpful. Things I do on my breaks – make a pot of tea, sit outside with the cat for ten minutes, watch a Youtube video, go cuddle someone cuddly and get a bit of personal contact or even write a blog post!

3. Eat healthy. When I am stressed I go to junk food mode and this just makes me feel terrible health wise as well as making me feel guilty for eating so much crap. Guilt and stress are not a pretty combination so reduce any extra negativity by fueling your body with healthy snacks like veggies and nuts. Feeling healthier and proud of myself for not succumbing to the temptation of hot chips with butter chicken sauce (yes!!! they do this!!!) helps me feel calm and in control. If I can control my eating I can control my stress!!! (or something along those lines…)

4. Perspective-don’t lose it! When I find myself getting out of control in stress levels to the point where I can’t even focus on my work I take a 5 minute break, drink a cup of tea and think about why I am letting myself get so stressed. Stress is not supposed to be a constant part of our lives, our bodies cannot handle it. University is supposed to be an enjoyable part of my life and the assignments I do are generally pretty interesting and I don’t want the only thing I remember from Uni to be the stress that I was constantly feeling. It has taken me only 7 semesters to realize this (!) but in my last semester I finally have come to the conclusion that I would prefer to approach my assignments with an interest and a goal to do my best without letting stress come into the process. I might not get an A+ or an A every time but I know I have done the best I can in the time that was allotted and hopefully I had a bit of fun doing it. I don’t want to only survive my Uni years, I want to treasure them as a period of huge amounts of learning and fun. Easier said then done I know!

Anyway, next week is “holidays” where I hope to get started on some of my other university assignments (in order to avoid too much opportunities for stress when I go back) as well as do a bit more (OK fine a lot more) work on the wedding planning.

Looking forward to tomorrow being over and returning to some semblance of normality again!

(p.s. I apologize for the lack of finesse in this post, I literally threw this at the screen in the ten minutes break I gave myself and my thoughts are chaotic at the best of times …)

Bin Kitty says hi!