Stress Much? Yeah, Me Too...

It's Monday, and, being under the weather, waking early and returning to another week of academia is slightly traumatizing.  And I'm wearing jeans for the first time in ten months, so that's taking some getting used to, too.  I can't help but to get tempted into feelings of anxiety/worry/etc. That being said, though, I've decided recently to try and take charge of my own thoughts, so I'm using preventative measures to try and avoid feeling like the main character from Wemberly Worried.  
Without further adieu (as there is some homework I should probably be tackling right now....), here are some tips for dealing with everyone's friendly neighborhood anxiety ulcers:

1) Practice gratitude. Yes, I know you've heard this before, but when you seriously take it to heart, it starts to actually work.   Instead of focusing on whatever is causing the acid in your stomach to shoot up into your throat, think about what you appreciate.  Even if it's something small--like the fact that the sun came up this morning or the pretty color of the grass--it can help put things into perspective and take your mind off of whatever's bothering you.

2) How much does it really matter?  Ask yourself this question repeatedly.  Next week, is this going to have been the defining moment of your life?  How about thirty-seven years from now?  If, retrospectively, it won't end up being a big deal, drop it.  Clearly it isn't worth causing an acne breakout over, right?

3) Let it go.  Yeah, that's
right--unleash your inner Elsa.

4) Focus on something good.  Or great.  Great would be even better.  For me, I think about the joy I have when talking to my mum, dancing in my living room, finding Halloween decorations, and watching reruns of Party of Five. Those are my happy places. Find yours.

5) Be proactive--in an un-anxious way.  That history paper weighing down on you even though it isn't due for another few weeks?  Break it into manageable chunks and start on it now.  Because the deadline is far away, you'll be less stressed out while writing it.  And that means there's a lesser chance that you'll take years off of your life freaking out.

6) Do or plan something fun!  You may not necessarily be able to turn on your favorite song or start dancing in the immediate moment that a stressful situation occurs, but you can plan on doing so later. Anxious at school?  As soon as you finish your homework, turn on the strobe light and pump up the Skrillex (or, if you're like me, 1940's swing dance music).

7) Breathe.  Breathe and realize who you are: you.  A human (or a vampire or a witch--we're all-inclusive here!).  I saw a post once that said something along the lines of this: "You are a ghost driving a meat-covered skeleton made from stardust.  So now what are you afraid of?"  Something about that really put things in perspective and made me feel so much better.  Because, if you're that, then you're pretty much invincible, right?

<3 Frances