Academic Life: Stress and Self-Care

  Source:  Seluk, N. (2023). The Awkward Yeti [Comic  Heart and Brain ]. In  Instagram . https://www.instagram.com/theawkwardyeti/p/CpNsTw7rMZI/?img_index=1 Avoiding emergencies?  If only that were possible.  Well, in some cases it actually is.  Sometimes we create our own emergencies by how we manage our time and structure our lives. By simply planning ahead and spending some time thinking through issues, we can often keep a problem from turning into something much worse. Think of it this way:  You're almost out of gas in your car, but it's been a really long day.  You just want to go home and decide to deal with putting gas in your car on the way to work/class tomorrow.  But.... now it's the next morning.  There's a traffic jam, you're late, your car is about to run out of gas stuck in traffic on the highway, and your boss is calling you asking why you're not at work yet. Your paper is due, but you've decided to work on it over the weekend rather than try

  It's another semester and another school year.  Welcome back! For me, we're now in week 3 of the semester, and I am still behind.  I am desperately looking forward to finally settling into the pattern of life for the term.  That usually happens around this week, so fingers crossed!  Sometimes change can be overwhelming.  In fact major changes in schedules, sleeping habits, and eating patterns are all major stressors according to the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory.  If this is your first year at college and/or you moved into the dorms in the last few weeks, then you're scoring even more points on the scale.  The more points you have on the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, the more prone you are to issues with your physical health as well as your mental health.  And, it makes you "primed" to be overly reactive to other everyday stressors. So, if that's the case, here are a few tips to get you settled back in: Take a few deep breaths.  Try breathing in to