Wow, two blog posts in one month? What is going on??

I have a few spare moments right now, so I’ve decided to talk a little about stress and other unfortunate things that happen when you’ve got a lot of things on your mind.

Recently I’ve been very, very stressed out; I think this December in particular has been one of the most stressful months so far during my senior year. Like I’ve mentioned before, calculus and english are probably the two classes I worry about the most and have the most to do in. I find myself feeling very overwhelmed by the amount of work I need to do for my AP classes, and I’ve done quite a bit of crying so far over the prospect of completing all of these assignments and studying for the frequent tests. I think it’s very important to be able to handle this stress (well, as best as you can in high school), so I’ve compiled a little list of a few things that tend to help me out when I’m feeling overwhelmed by the daunting school year:

• Listening to music: I find this to be something I do more and more often when I’m stressed. Since it is December, I’ve been playing the “Christmas Peaceful Piano” playlist on Spotify on repeat. Even though I’m a massive geek about piano to begin with, I genuinely think some slow piano can do a lot for someone who is stressed. And when familiar Christmas music is coupled with piano, I’m down to listen to it all the time. I find it especially nice to listen to while I’m working on assignments since it helps me concentrate a little better. Obviously, if piano or Christmas music isn’t your thing, or if you just don’t like listening to music while doing work, this probably won’t be your fave thing.
• Candles and tea: Again, some people hate candles and hate tea, so keep in mind these are just my own preferences, but lighting a candle in my room makes the whole environment in my room a lot more cozy and it makes the schoolwork a lot more bearable. Also, having something warm to sip during a cold evening, like tea, is especially comforting to me.
• Doing something you love: This sounds a little vague, but in all honesty, simply doing something that makes you feel happy is so important when you’re dealing with a lot. For me, I love to get on an open figure skating session at the end of the day, when no one else is around, and just skate around. I don’t care about what I do so much as just feeling my skates dig into the ice and gliding around. Also, playing a few of my favorite pieces on the piano helps me take my mind off of anything that I’m preoccupied with. Focusing on the keys and the music is a major stress-reliever for me. Whatever your favorite thing to do is may be helpful in getting your mind off of things.
• Talking to someone: This may be a given, but talking to someone about why you’re stressed can bring some degree of relief. I’m very fortunate to have a close group of friends that know I tend to stress myself out about a lot of things, school in particular, so whenever I need to talk to someone, they’re available. Sometimes, getting someone else to give their input about your worries can actually calm you down to some extent, so you don’t have to feel as though you have nobody to turn to. And if you’re struggling to find someone to listen, I’m always up for a chat!
• Lists: I mentioned this before in my procrastination advice post, but I find that making lists and writing down exactly what you need to accomplish on a given day unloads a whole lot of stress. Instead of trying to remember all the things you need to do, making a masterlist of all the tasks makes it a lot more manageable to get everything done.

I don’t know if this is just me but I find that winter is when school gets incredibly stressful, maybe aside from finals week in the summer. Sometimes you find yourself feeling down, or wondering how in the world you’re going to finish everything you need to do. If you’re dealing with a lot right now, try to find some time to spend on yourself, not just your homework and essays. Get some sleep, drink some water, get some exercise. I feel a lot better when I take a little breather from my work.

Is there anything you do that helps you destress? Let me know! Thanks for reading, and happy holidays! 🙂

Anna xx