Don't Worry, Be Happy: How to deal with the stress of school and/or life!

Hey my loves!

I thought I would do a post about stress and back to school.  This time of year tends to be really stressful for young teens, teens, and young adults.  Many of us are going back to school or starting out at a new school/college/university for the very first time.  It can be really scary!  I remember when I started university, I was terrified.  I thought for sure I was going to be crushed by the workload; it was so overwhelming and I really had to try hard to keep my head above water.  I didn’t have anyone I could turn to and say “hey how do I cope with all of these new changes in my life?!”… So I am hoping I can be that person for you!

A few things to remember:

1)      Change is good!  It might not feel like it but trying new things, going new places, and the butterflies in your tummy that go along with it are all GOOD things!  You will become so much wiser, stronger, and self-assured.  YOU CAN DO THIS!

2)      You are NEVER alone.  You might think you are the only person who is scared or stressed or unsure of what they are doing in life but I promise you, everyone else is just as unsure… They are feeling the same way as you.  There is a funny quote, but I can’t remember who said it… “Everyone hates their 20’s, that’s why they all drink so much…”  It is so true!  Many people are unsure of who they are at this age (and even older!) life expects a lot from you and sometimes it is hard to know where you are going.  But don’t fret; enjoy each and every day and don’t stress about tomorrow.  You are on this path right now and who knows, next week it might change and all of the sudden you realize that cooking is really your passion, not physics… and that is OKAY!  Or you might go through all of high school thinking you are going to go to university to become a doctor, and then at the end of grade 12 you realize you really want to be a mechanic… GO FOR IT!  What I am trying to say here is follow your passions and you will be happy.  Money will come; don’t get too focused on that part…

3)      Making new friends is HARD!  People get into little cliques and act like they don’t want any “New Friends”, you know what? THEIR LOSS!  You are a wonderful person with so much to give; don’t waste your time trying to fit in to some group that acts like they are too cool to be nice to you or accept you as a friend.  Those people rarely turn out to be nice people.  And, if you ARE one of those people, give it up… you aren’t that cool :P

4)      When you are trying to make new friends, remember what I said about passions… If you love cooking, painting, karate, reading, snowboarding, knitting or WHATEVER!  Join a club or a group or take a cooking class (even if you are the most amazing cook, you can always learn something new, or meet someone cool!).  Like-minded people are bound to make great friends!

5)      Dealing with stress is SUPER CHALLENGING! Sometimes you can feel like breathing is impossible, or even getting through the night is going to be too hard… I promise you, tomorrow is a new day and it is yours :)  An AWESOME way to get rid of stress is exercise!  Go to the gym or go for a walk with your dog, parent, or friend… or hey, even go by yourself and just let your mind relax!  Another SUPER important thing is SLEEP!  Your body needs sleep in order to function.  If you deprive yourself of sleep you will be a mess and you will only be hurting yourself in the long run.  Not to mention that lack of sleep results in some serious side effects!  Just Google it, or check out this website: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/lack-of-sleep-side-effects.html

6)      Homework… you need to PLAN PLAN PLAN!  Get an organizer or a calendar and write out when every single assignment is due, quiz is happening, exam is scheduled etc.  This way you can plan out your week/month/semester etc.  There is nothing worse than realizing you have 3 papers due within a week and you COULD have started them all earlier if you had only planned ahead.  So don’t make that mistake; plan ahead now! :)  Also, make sure you leave yourself enough time to do your readings and assignments properly.  There will always be time to go hang out with friends, go to the bar (if you are old enough), party, etc.  You have the rest of your life to have loads of fun; be responsible and “do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do” (Denzel Washington).

7)      On the other hand, make sure you HAVE FUN!  Don’t get all bogged down worrying about stuff; be a kid/be a teen/be a young adult!  Live your life :)

Most importantly, never lose sight of who you are… Don’t change for anyone and always listen to that little voice deep down inside; it won’t let you down.  Stress is only temporary and I hope you picked up a few tips on how to cope! 

 

Love,
K