Crunch Time & Positivity.

It's starting to come down to the wire pretty quickly this semester - November is the last full month before finals, I'm getting TONS of complex and time-consuming assignments, and I'm trying to balance it all out with working for the Guard base (while maintaining sanity!) The month before finals is always bound to be packed with tons of things to do and little time to waste, and taking media classes such as Reporting for Media and Media Law that involve interviewing people, transcribing the interviews, and going to various locations around town to dig up public records and sit in on court hearings definitely makes it that much more challenging. 

This is how I end up feeling at the end of most days in school now...my brain is just fried!

Don't get me wrong, I love my classes and I love learning more about the wide variety of subjects i'm taking this semester, but sometimes the work load is just outrageous! I'm sure we've all felt this way at some point, and this kind of stress can definitely take a toll on you socially and psychologically in the wrong situations, so it's important to stay positive!

So for this week's post, I've decided to give you all a few pointers about how to stay on top of your workload and, more importantly, to stay positive!

1. Realize that it's only temporary.

This may be the most important point of all - the classes you're taking the semester, the stress you're under, and anything else that's going in your life that's making it more stressful will all go away eventually. It has to. Nothing lasts forever, and that's even more reason to enjoy the moment and find the good in every situation.

2. Make a list of things to do and organize them into a schedule.

You have no idea how much this has helped me this semester. Making lists and schedules has always been difficult for me because I always end up just ignoring them or forgetting about them, but I've been forcing myself to commit to a schedule and write everything I need to do in it for the past few months and it's helped me tremendously. Planners at the campus store are only $5 (and making your own in a binder or a notebook is even cheaper), and they'll save you a lot of time and energy in the end, trust me!

3. Get plenty of sleep!

You're probably laughing to yourself after reading that one (it's college, who sleeps?), but don't take it lightly. I'm sure we all know how sleep deprivation is, and we all probably don't get enough sleep as it is on a regular basis, but I know that the days I sleep for more than 8 hours are my absolute best days. I feel happier, wake up easier, do better on tests and working through homework, and I'm far less grumpy and irritated! Getting tons of sleep definitely has many benefits, and it'll only help you stay focused on what you have to do while maintaining a positive attitude.

4. Find a hobby, an activity, or something unrelated to your studies to participate in.

We can't be all school all the time, and I'm sure everyone has something they love to do that helps them relax and eases their mind, so do it! Separating yourself from your studies for short periods of time is just as important as getting through them. SMC has tons of clubs on campus that fit a wide range of hobbies too, such as singing, knitting, or even anime-watching! It's recommended that students only study for 30-45 minute intervals and then take 10-15 minute breaks. Calling a friend briefly to catch up, playing a video game, or riding your bike to the store and back are all great ways to de-stress and clear your mind from the heavy course load you've probably spent too much time studying as it is. 

5. Stay healthy.

Go for a run around campus, go to the gym with a friend, play some basketball in the gym on an intramural team! Staying active and eating well-balanced meals will help substantially in tackling your homework load and maintaining a positive attitude too! Take it from someone who worked out every day for six months straight this past spring and summer. After joining the Air Force, I found a new appreciation for running, and my roommate and I have made it a habit to go running a few times a week together (one time this past summer we ran 8 miles around Colchester and Essex Junction - it was a blast!) I use it as an outlet to de-stress, relax, and cope with whatever's going on in my life, and it works.

I hope these tips help at least some of you with dealing with school, friends, work, and whatever else you have going on in your life. Staying positive is the only way you're going to make it through, so try your best and keep a level head - things have a way of working themselves out! But following these tips can definitely help make it that much easier to tackle life head-on too!

And if none of that helped, here's a picture of me wearing a cat mask I found in the Alliot parking lot this afternoon. :p Comedy can work just as well to create some positivity!

Cheers!