HC

College is an extremely stressful time-balancing school, work, friends, sleep-sometimes it can all feel like it’s too much. If you find yourself rushing between tasks, worrying that you won’t have time to do everything … If you are feeling a high amount of stress and are just overwhelmed by the number of things you have to do …

You might try doing a Stress Assess.

 

This is something I often do for myself, when I wake up with a million things to do and the feeling that I have no time to do all of it.  Then, naturally, I lay in bed for 20 minutes-thinking of all the things I needed to do instead of actually doing them.

 

One day, I decided to make a list of everything in my life that has been on my mind or causing me stress.  My schoolwork, club meetings, work schedule, and some personal problems that I couldn’t stop thinking about.  Having these issues written out helped me visualize everything and keep them from buzzing around in my mind.  Once I had a list, I made a small note next to each one — what I was going to do to resolve them. This immediately made me feel better.

 

Then I started taking action: I eliminated a few tasks, canceled others, postponed some, and decided to do what I could to resolve the remaining problems. I cleared space on my schedule for the remaining things, and lifted a huge burden off myself.

What a relief!

 

How to assess your stress:

• Make a list. Write down all of your problems, big or small.  These include anything from schoolwork to club meetings, errands, or any personal problems that are taking up space in your mind.

• Make notes. Evaluate each item and add a note next to them — How important is this task in relation to others? Can is be let go or postponed until you have more time?  Could you ask someone else to help you with it? Is this a high priority task that must be done today? Making quick notes for each item can help you work through their resolutions.

• Prefer elimination. If you can get the item off the list, try to cancel, delegate, or at least postpone. Try clearing up space, so that you have less on your plate.

• Make a schedule. For the items that aren’t eliminated or postponed, make time to deal with them. It may seem silly to write “clean my room” or “call Aunt Ginny” on a piece of paper and plan an exact time for it, but crossing items off your list can be a real weight off the shoulders.

 

Stress Assess is not a tool that will end all your stressors, nor will it teach you how to deal with stress. However, it is an efficient way to relieve many of the things that may cause you to rush and lose focus. This process should take about 20 minutes, depending on your workload and your capability to make decisions.  It is definitely worth the time, because you’ll be clearing up space and getting your head straight.