Summer is officially drawing to
close, and as we all rush off to school it seems as if our schedules get fuller
and fuller with each day. Whether it’s with FFA, your job, your sports, band,
student council, homecoming, homework, or even just hanging out with friends
and family, it can be quite stressful to even take a look at our calendars. As
someone who was involved in just about everything you can be for my whole life,
trust me it’s crazy. It can even get to be a little overwhelming sometimes.
While our
calendars can be a little overwhelming, there are some ways that we can ensure
we’re living our best lives. While I’m no expert, I’ve definitely had to try on
a few different ways to fight stress in my hectic schedule. So without further
ado, here are 5 quick tips I use to be combat stress!
1.) Wake Up to your Alarm
This might seem like a no-brainer,
but it is an easy way to start your day off on the right foot. Often times, I’ll
set roughly 4 alarms in the hopes that I’ll wake up in time to get ready. For
those of you that are doing this, it gets pretty stressful and you can feel
like you’re constantly late. Another common problem with alarms is the snooze feature,
where you may snooze to the point that which you’re running out the door and
trying to brush your teeth while putting your pants on and grabbing a granola
bar for breakfast.
Late and stressed? That’s certainly not the best start to
your day.
Instead, actually get up when your
alarm tells you to. I know, it can be pretty hard the first few days, but trust
me it helps. You have the right amount of time to make sure that your hair is
on point, you have a healthy breakfast, you are on the road right on time, and
overall you just feel better and have a great start to your day!
2 2.) Schedule Free Time
Often times, we continuously are adding in things to our
schedule. We just keep adding and adding until we eventually don’t have any
time to even eat. Trust me, it’s not fun. I had gotten to a point where I would
get done at work at about 11 and then work on homework and other things until
about 2am, then wake up at 6 and start all over again. If you ask my mom, it
got pretty stressful.
A quick way
that you can make sure you’re keeping your sanity during a busy schedule is to
schedule in free time. Maybe set out that every Tuesday night you have Netflix
time from 6-8pm and Thursday nights you have an hour blocked out to just hang
out with your family, anything that you need works. This way, you know that you
have a set time each week that you can relax, but also know when it’s time to
say no to something so you’re not overbooking yourself.
3 3.) Find a Stress Outlet
Everyone deals with stress differently; you just have to
find a way that works for you! These can be things like reading a good book,
jamming out to your favorite music, going out to the barn and doing chores,
hanging out with friends, exercising, even cleaning! Just try some things out
and you’ll figure out what works best! One of the ways I best handle stress is
just talking it over with someone. I’ll call up my mom or meet a friend for
coffee and just decompress. There are plenty of different ways to relieve
stress, just make sure it works for you!
4 4.) Be Healthy
This one is a little easier said than
done. As someone who gets sick often (ask any of my teammates or friends and
family, it’s pretty often), I often find myself stressed out by the simple fact
that I can’t perform at the level I would like. Take for example this past
week: I got a sinus infection while I was at a conference and as the school
year was kicking off. It definitely has put me behind from where I would have
liked to have been in some of my work, and it could have been a lessened burden
or even non-existent had I been living a healthier lifestyle. I’m not saying
you should stop eating pizza or fast food altogether and pick up a raw carrot,
because trust me I could eat a whole Casey’s Breakfast Pizza by myself. What I’m
saying is take every now and then to eat in moderation, go for a quick run, or
drink water instead of pop once in a while. The less sick you are and the more
healthy choices you make, the happier you are.
5 5.) Be Happy
Sounds simple, right? You can just choose to be happy. If
you are making a conscious effort to be happier, odds are you probably will be.
Take some of the less important inconveniences with a grain of salt and focus
on big picture happiness. This will bring you one step closer to leading a
happier life.
I’m no expert in living a stress-free life. It’s something
that doesn’t just magically happen. In the fast paced society that we live in
today there will always be a slight sense of panic and an overwhelming feeling.
However, we have the choice to make the most of it and lead a happy life
anyway.
Zach Hamilton
State President
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