Stress brings out the worst in me!
I face overwhelming times throughout each semester so much that I barely notice changes in my mood towards other people. The reality is that I become an evil person under stress. I am not kind because deadlines are approaching, my creative juices are running low, and all I want is sleep – so I take it out on the ones trying to deal with me. It isn’t pretty, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.
First, we have to establish faith, hope, positivity, and determination in ourselves before we can fully understand why people are saying we aren’t handling stress with grace. The best way to do that is sort of tricking our brains into realizing everything will be okay.
I do this by writing little notes to myself and sticking them literally everywhere – my notebooks, journals, desk, whiteboard, walls, mirrors, doors, bookshelves, etc. I keep little positive notes everywhere because I am my biggest critic when it comes to my personality and work ethic.
My whiteboard over my desk is full of uplifting sayings as I struggle through homework!
Sometimes the little notes don’t work because the anxiety of failing creeps up like a thief in the night to steal our faith in ourselves. We can’t let stress take over our thinking – it will ruin how we look at all the work piling up. Allowing that course to continue can cause anyone to spiral out of control if there is no self-belief inside of them. Once we lose hope in ourselves, anxiety and stress might as well control everything we do from thinking to how we handle life.
Don’t let that happen! Take control of your life and tell stress to “back-off!”
This may seem hard because anything worth doing wasn’t meant to be easy. Your peace of mind is very important so work towards getting that back. It doesn’t happen overnight!
“Your spark will return, and you will shine like you were meant to. It’s difficult when you catch yourself not being yourself not being you. When you feel your whole world falling apart.”
How it feels to come out on the other side of stress – April 21st
I choose to be like Dory and “just keep swimming” instead of letting the weight of stress pull me to the bottom of this ocean we call college.
I have learned a great deal from my stress and have realized that I don’t want it stealing my happiness anymore. April is the hardest month of the Spring Semester, but I finally came out on the other side of that barrier that my stress created after Spring Break (at the end of March).
Remember keep striving and never give up hope! As cliché as it sounds, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.