Midterm Chaos

-

 


Ahhh... midterm season.  The time when papers, exams, projects, and well... everything comes due at once.  It's also a season filled with fun opportunities to celebrate with Halloween parties, basketball games, football games, and Fall celebrations.  With so much going on, it's easy to get overwhelmed.  And, for many of us, getting overwhelmed means that we start to shut down, avoiding people and avoiding what we need to do.  So, how do we deal with this?  How do we get everything done?

First all, it may not be possible to get everything done. It is possible to simply have too much on your plate.  If that's the case, it's time to prioritize.  Take your to-do list and put it into 3 piles:  Must do, Should do, Would like to do.  And, then proceed accordingly.  Get rid of everything that isn't a high priority.  And, say "No" to adding anything else to your plate that isn't a Must do.

Second, start small. Find the smallest thing or least overwhelming thing on your to-do list to tackle first. I often feel better about my list when I see a few things crossed out, even if they're smaller items.  It makes the full list look less daunting and gives me some motivation to continue to conquer more.  If there's nothing on your to-do list that's small, add something.  It can be something as simple as "drink coffee", "eat lunch", "go to class", or "take shower". 

Be flexible.  Take a look at your schedule for the week.  Are there days where you simply can't do anything on your list because you're at work or in class?  What about days where you have long stretches of open time?  Move stuff around to where it fits best.  And, if you don't get something done today, give yourself permission to move it to tomorrow.  It's not about perfection.  It's about progress.

Find a way to make things a bit more bearable.  Crank up the music and sing while you work.  Listen to lectures while you're working out. Take your laptop outside to work if it's a beautiful day. Reward yourself with something fun. Anything you can do to lighten your mood will make the work go by faster.  

Lastly and most importantly -  schedule some fun.  Life should be enjoyed.  So, make sure you take some time to be silly and have some fun.  

Good luck!



*Image taken from Facebook post by Coffee*Soul*Wine: https://www.facebook.com/coffeegodis420lotus/  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Keeping Perspective

-
Image
  Welcome back from Spring Break! If you're like me, it was way too short.  About the time I started finding my center and remembering to breathe, it was ending.  But, just because break is ending doesn't mean our perspectives should shift.  What perspective were you able to find during break?  I remembered that it's better for me (and my students) if I put self-care first.   How long did that perspective last?  About 5 minutes.  Actually, it would have lasted about that long, but I ended up scheduling an early lunch with a friend that I've been out of touch with during the pandemic.  Normally I dive head first into work and knock out as much as possible on Mondays.  But, with an early lunch planned, I only got a few things done before having to leave to make the date. And, it was the best thing that could have happened.  I had a leisurely lunch for about 2 hours and then returned fresh to deal with my to do list.  I'm now very...
Read more

Stressed....? Who's stressed????

-
Image
  So, I don't know about ya'll, but this semester is already off to a rocky start.  Instead of jumping into a brand new semester and academic year full of energy, hope, and excitement I've spent the last two weeks simply trying to breathe.  This is by far not the best time for a major asthma episode, and it has thrown everything into chaos.  Add in issues with the bookstore, late add's to classes, and all of the usual fun and fanfare that a new academic year brings... and, I'm exhausted.  And, I'm betting I'm not the only one struggling to get things on track.  So, I thought the best thing to do for today is to remember a few things that can help while we're in survival mode: 1) A fresh start is always available.  - If things didn't go as planned, use the afternoon to breathe and regroup.  And, start again fresh in the morning.  You don't even have to wait until tomorrow morning.  You can start fresh with your next deep breath. 2) Go slo...
Read more

Acceptance

-
Image
  Today I rediscovered my yoga practice after more than 6 months off the mat.  Was it what I wanted it to be? No. My body doesn't want to move into the positions it previously found easily.  My butt was in the air for child's pose rather than resting on my heels.  And, rather than being a long energetic practice filled with heat and movement, I chose to do a brief yin practice filled with slow floor poses and gentle stretches.  As I laid in savasana (resting pose) at the end of my practice, a thought entered my head - Acceptance.  Today was all about letting go of control and accepting where I am now, right in this moment.   Accepting the present moment can be challenging.  I find this to be especially true when I'm super-stressed or simply in a competitive mode.  At these times I'm reminded of what one of my favorite yoga teachers used to say in class whenever he saw us pushing too hard: "Yoga is not a competition - not even with yourself." ...
Read more