Finding your coping method for stress | Thursday Talks

If you've done a fast track, intensive course of some kind you will understand the type of pressure me and my fellow NCTJers are feeling at the moment. 14 weeks may sound like a long time when you decide to pay x amount of money to get a qualification you want. But when it hits four weeks left and you're finishing off a ten story strong portfolio, cover sheets for each and trying to crack 100 words per minute shorthand so you can take the exam next week and get that off your plate, 14 weeks seems like it went in the blink of an eye. I am not alone in the stress I am under with all of this going and I'm fully aware of that but it's about finding your coping method and everyone does so differently. 

If you're susceptible to stress as me it's important to find the way you cope with that because otherwise it'll push you into the corner of your room and then you're more stressed because you've spend hours worrying about what you're stressed about rather than getting on. It often seems like the best thing to do, or rather easiest thing to do, is ignore your problems and come back to that every growing mental to do list tomorrow. It won't make it better I promise.

I find the best thing to do is make a physical to do list. I've discovered, and boy did it take me a long time to work out, that half my stressing grounds itself in worrying that I might forget something important. Making a physical, written to do list, on your phone, on a note, on your computer where ever, means you won't forget anything you've got to do. Important or menial. As well as this the feeling when I cross something off my to do list is so gratifying that it reduces stress incredibly.

At the beginning of the week I created a post about how running can help me de-stress. And it's true not just for me but for a lot of people. Being active, I don't know how, some psychology wizz will probably be able to tell me, really helps me feel better. So of course taking a couple of hours away from what you've got to di is important. But ignoring your to do list all together is no a good way to de-stress. 

There are many things that have been proven to help people feel less stressed. I find of an evening a cup of herbal tea and a good book for half an hour before bed relaxes my mind before sleeping. This isn't always the case and often I take hours to sleep because my mind is reeling with all the things I've got do. If I wake up in the morning knowing I haven't slept well because I've got a lot on my mind I use a herbal roller ball stick on my temples and wrists which sends calming vibes. This probably sounds so hippy-esque but it works so I'm sticking to it.

The most important thing here is that you find what works for you. Whilst scouring the pages of pinterest the other day I found the image below with lots of ways to help feel calmer and less stressed. Maybe try a few and see what works for you. 

Happy de-stressing. 

Picture Credit