Take a moment and think about the wonderful feeling of stress being lifted off your shoulders when everything is done; you are free to do whatever makes you happy. Now, revert back to the feeling before everything is accomplished and the overwhelming sensation creeps back into your mind, blocking any chance for you to feel truly happy and carefree. It is no surprise that a recent psychological survey shows that 25 percent of our happiness relies on how well we manage stress.
The problem is clear: stress causes unhappiness. It’s great that the problem can be pin-pointed, and this is the first step to combating it, but how can we really manage our stress well? The data in the survey presents an easy solution, or more likely easier-said-than done. The stress management technique that worked best on the 3,000 who were surveyed was simple – plan, plan, plan.
Planning fights stress before it even starts. You get to the root of the problem before it comes crashing down on you all at once. This is why you most likely feel elated when you finish a big paper or assignment days before it is even due; you are planning ahead of time so the stress does not amount to much.
Sometimes the overwhelming feeling of stress creeps on so quickly you feel like you do not even have enough free time to plan at all. The key is to relax, take a deep breath, and plan as much as you can. Even if it is simply planning out the next few hours of your day, keep reminding yourself that stressing out about getting something done is only taking time away from actually doing it. The minute you start feeling overcome, write everything you have to do on a piece of paper and get to work on checking the items off.
The goal, of course, is to start planning so well you never get to the point of scrambling and, well, freaking out. We’ve all been there – you forgot you have a midterm in two hours, the paper that counts for 50 percent of your grade is due tomorrow – but all of these “freak-out’s” could have been prevented with proper planning.
Start off by getting yourself a calendar. Place a large one in your dorm room or house, and bring a smaller one with you wherever you go. When you find out a due-date or a time that you have to be somewhere, immediately write it down in both places. When you feel like you have too much on your plate, refrain from having a meltdown. Instead, buckle-down and get to work – starting with the item that is most important first. You can surprise yourself how much you get done when you forget about everything else and just do it.
Stress comes with the territory of being a college-student. These days, we don’t only have classes to worry about. There are internships, jobs, teams, clubs, you name it – we do it. Being involved in as much as you can is nothing that should be frowned upon; chances are you are doing these activities because they are supposed to make you happy. Therefore, do not let it get to the point when the things you love to do (and some you have to do) are making you unhappy because of the added stress.