Peering at Stress Clouds

So, I have a desk calendar right by my computer where I have different holidays mapped out (in hopes of planning ahead for some of them, which is a work in progress). The calendar does feature some more recognized holidays, and it took me until today to realize that this week is pretty recognized off the bat. We started out with Earth Day, had Administrative Professionals Day yesterday, and Arbor Day tomorrow.

I think these are all awesome holidays and I want to celebrate them all, but I find myself at a loss for today - Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Call me out of the loop, but is that still recognized as a thing? Sure, I went to my parents' workplaces growing up, but that was mainly when I had to burn some time before getting dropped off at school. It was never a "let's learn about what your parents do for a living!" experience, because that kind of happened anyway.

Fortunately, today did have a nice assortment of holidays and the one I focused on today was Hairstylists Appreciation Day. Yes, I got a haircut. (I can hear the sigh of relief from my mother already.) (Love you, Mom!) My hair was getting quite long and it felt like the right time, especially with graduation season being in the "near" sub-category of "future". I also made sure to tell the person who cut my hair about the holiday and she said I was the first one to tell her the news. While cutting my hair, she did also say that I had small ears and made a lot of idle chitchat about how much hair I had. Anyway, holidays.

I wouldn't say that I broadcast the daily holidays along with morning reveille, but I've been starting to get the students involved in the celebrations. Today, I had a student who made sure I knew it was World Penguin Day and Malaria Awareness Day. It was a nice little gesture to say the least.

TC

I don't feel like going through the details of my day, but I hope you trust me when I say that the end-of-semester stress is quite present in my building.This is the last week of regular instruction and finals start next week, so courses are wrapping up and students are given final opportunities to improve their grades. I think I mentioned this a couple days ago, but some students have upwards of three tests *tomorrow* and that's in addition to a full load of finals spread out throughout next week.

I think there are "little" things in play as well that can add stress to the equation. The first thing that comes to mind is the ridiculous weather, particularly this week. (Oh, as far as I can tell, Hazel is doing fine.) Another stressor could be worrying about the future. Our students don't graduate until June, but even still, this is the time when you think to what lies ahead and for half of our students, it's leaving the place they called home for two years and re-locating to another new environment. Some students are transferring to colleges in Georgia or Pennsylvania, so it's also thinking about that leap. I know I had that my final semester of undergrad when I was going to move to Missouri from Minnesota.

Rather than focus on why students are stressed, I wanted to share some tips that I use to help relieve stress. Granted, I don't expect my reader audience to include my current students, but we all have stressful situations, right?

1. Schedule your time. Finals Week can be deceptive because you don't have any regular class sessions, so you think "I can focus on my finals all week long!" and the week turns into a mush of studying, socializing, and procrastinating. I think back to my first year working here and how I let my personal time and work time overlap and become this gray blob. Now that I'm much more deliberate about taking time for me and for work, both times are more productive.

2. We're all human. Everyone makes mistakes, so you don't need to beat yourself up because you spent an extra half-hour writing emails or watching cat videos. I can understand momentary frustration, but a healthy mindset doesn't stick with "I'm such a terrible person." Instead, you should think about maximizing the time you have right now and how to keep on track more effectively next time.

3. Take care of yourself. If you're not treating your body properly, you will have a tougher time conquering your obstacles, and you're going to feel worse doing it. Take breaks, hang out with friends, SLEEP. It's sad to see someone in a downward spiral because they can't get enough sleep since they are working on something right before a deadline.

4. Laugh. In stressful times, laughter can indeed be an excellent medicine. Whether it's going out with others or watching a funny movie, laughing does our body good. Seriously, look it up.

I am fortunate to say that I don't feel overwhelmingly stressed right now. I'm sure I could tell a different tale if I was taking a full undergrad schedule, but I've sang that song several times before. I am experiencing some of that "uncertainty of the future" stress, but I feel like I've been able to keep it in check so far.

Stay stress-free and DFTBA.