Just in time for final exams, Maxine Kpangbai from DTM shares her advice to take it down a notch before school, work, and life get’s the best of you!
Ladies and Gentlemen. I’m sure we can all relate to what I am about to say. Studying for an exam for an entire week and not getting the grade you want; staying up all night and end up not waking for that important lecture; missing a deadline because you read the date wrong, and so on. I have put myself in countless situations where I just end up doing more work.
During these stressful times, I find myself constantly blaming myself for making not being good enough, which definitely did not help with the situation. As if that wasn’t enough, the sleep deprivation and poor eating habits started to affect my overall health. I know, tough times! I realize that if I don’t do something to change this, this vicious cycle will never end. Overtime, I’ve gathered small tips and tricks to make myself feel better when I’m stressed about school or relationship. So, I wanted to share some of these tips with you guys.
Always write things down.
I found this tip super helpful, especially during exams season. I’d write down every little thing, from turning in an assignment and doing dishes to painting my nails and making green tea. I would use a sticky note and write down a list of things that I would like to achieve that day, and I would try my absolute best to accomplish those goals.
This helps keeping me on task as well as making sure that I don’t forget to take a break! When I get into my stressful state, I tend to zone out everything and just grind. Working hard is great until your body crashes. So, make sure to always give yourself time to chill and clear your mind.
Take a mental break by listening to music and ~dance~
Before I begin, I want to say that taking a TV break by watching a video can go very wrong if you are not highly self-disciplined. Since I am not disciplined, I tend to avoid watching one episode of Scandal during my breaks because I know for a fact that I am NOT going to watch only one episode. Even if I am watching the season finale, I will end up watching another TV show or find myself browsing on YouTube (which is even more addicting…).
That’s why listening to music is my preferred way to take a break. I know that a lot of us have our headphones in while studying. But if you blast music through your laptop speaker and play it out loud, you feel a burst of energy going through your body. Dance off your stress to the beat of the music and count that as your work out of the day!
Eat. Drink. Grind.
I mentioned this earlier, but when I get stressed I find eating a waste of time. (I know, I know…) So, I always make sure to incorporate eating into my daily planning. I tend to go for something quick and light, foods that will give me energy and not a food coma. Places like Chipotle, Subway, and Whole foods are some of the places that I would go to for dinner. They are quick and I can bring them to the library if I want to eat and study simultaneously to save time.
As for the drinks part, I always go for green tea or a sour drink to keep me awake. I tend to avoid coffee if I am under a lot of stress just because coffee can make you crash, which is even more unproductive in the long run. Make sure to nourish your body with food so that you can feel 100 and be 100!
I know that we all have those times, whether you are in school or not. So, I hope you find these tips helpful with de-stressing!
If you’d like to learn more about me, catch my posts on DTM, and follow us on Instagram @dtmblog.
