Let's face it: In the modern world, even everyday life can be stressful. All of us have at least a couple of sources of burnout in our lives, whether it's work, school or family that makes us feel overwhelmed and stressed out.
I know I'm one stressed out puppy. Trying to
manage all of my projects while working and going to college can sometimes
leave me a nervous wreck. When this happens, there are a few tricks I use to combat the burnout and keep calm, yet still stay productive.
DON'T DO NOTHING!
It's the absolute worst thing to do when
stressed out. Sometimes, when we have work piling up on us, our productive part of
the brain just overloads and shuts down, leaving us watching videos of talking
kittens and playing the jumpy-dinosaur-thingy game on Google Chrome. *raises
hand* Guilty!
That doesn't exactly help because you're not
getting any work done, and you feel even crappier because of it. So, the first
thing to do when you're so stressed that banging your head against the wall
becomes really appealing is ...
TAKE A BREATHER.
Sit on your couch. Lean back. Slowly relax
every single muscle in your body. Just breathe, for about three minutes or so. Then, tell yourself that it's not your fault, you're doing the best
you can. That voice in your head that's telling you that it is, in fact, all
your fault? Smother it with a pillow. Because ...
NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR COULD HAVE, WOULD HAVE, SHOULD HAVE.
Even if, deep down inside, you know that
you're to blame for the stress you're under right now, now's not the time to
beat yourself over it. Label it a 'lesson learned' and push it aside for later
review. Because right now, you've got work to do. You can start with ...
A TO-DO LIST.
Funny thing about writing stuff down: you
might realize that it's actually not all that bad. Making a list forces you to prioritize
and eliminate the less important stuff. Break up big tasks into small ones.
MAKE SOME COFFEE AND GET TO IT.
Obviously, the first part is optional, but the
other is not. Now that you've relaxed a bit and had a good, hard look at your
tasks, accomplishing them should be easier.
PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK.
Every single thing you do moves you toward the
end of your to-do list, so congratulate yourself on finishing even the smallest
of tasks.
That's some of the tips to help you relax and still get your productive mode on when you feel you're overwhelmed.
Have anything to add? I'll be happy to hear all about it in the comments.
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