I’m starting back to school this month, and I’ve been trying to prepare for the added stress. I spent a lot of college worried about the next big test or about splitting my time between classes and work. I don’t want to spend the next round of studying as a little ball of stress. I’ve been there, done that, and I don’t want to go back.
How am I planning to keep things under control?
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Loading ...I used to tutor students who were preparing to take the SAT and the ACT. I think every single one of these high school kids was pretty stressed out about a test that they believed could destroy their entire future, but one girl just couldn’t get a handle on her stress. Our tutoring sessions routinely included her bursting into tears about the thought of not doing well enough on the SAT — and this girl was pretty bright. I had a hard time getting to the bottom of her stress, but it turned out that her mother told her that she wasn’t working hard enough and would fail. The stress wasn’t truly coming from the test, but from her mother’s expectations.
Standardized testing season is starting up, and I don’t want to hear anymore stories like that poor girl’s. Here are some tips for reducing your worries come Test Day:
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...I ran across Progressive Muscular Relaxation, a technique for reducing muscle tension, a big side effect of stress. I’ve used it a bit — it helps with my hands, where I get a lot of tension, just from all the work I do with them. It’s not such a great option for the other place that I tense up (my shoulders and upper back), but it can help a little.
How does PMR work?
It’s pretty simple, actually: all you have to do is tense up a group of muscles as much as you can. Your muscles should be as tightly contracted as possible. Hold them that way for a few seconds, and then allow your muscles to relax normally. If you can, make the effort to relax your muscles even further — from what I’ve read, plenty of people can consciously relax their muscles to an extensive point, but I can only relax so far before I run the risk of flat out falling asleep.
The general idea behind PMR is that, if you start with tense muscles, it can be hard to relax them on your own. By tensing them up even more, you can actually relax your muscles more. It’s like taking a rubber band and stretching it. When you let go of the rubber band, it actually contracts (momentarily) to an even smaller size than it started out at.
This is a good exercise that you can do at your desk for quick stress relief, especially if you can only take a short break.
(2 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5) Loading ...I realize that we haven’t reached New Years Day yet, so the holiday season isn’t properly over. But I’m sure plenty of are read for a little post-holiday relaxation. Here are a few tips to make sure you come down off the holiday high in one piece.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...I temped in an architect’s office last week. It wasn’t a bad gig, but one conversation just sticks with me. I was helping out with their Christmas cards and was informed that this office simply doesn’t use the phrase “Happy Holidays.” The owner isn’t especially religious, but he does insist that everyone in the office has a “Merry Christmas.”
I debated getting my nose out of joint — after all, I don’t observe Christmas, and I’m pretty sure that one of the women that worked in the office is Muslim. But I’ve come to the conclusion that this architect is right.
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