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November 3, 2003 Send us your questions and comments Question * Lola is stressed It is only the first month of college and I am already so behind in my readings. I am actually looking forward to the vacation break -- not to rest but to catch up! I guess I am having an extra hard time because I work part time while attending full course of study. I have started smoking and drinking black coffee every day several times a day. Can you help with my stress? Lola Abjee Fotti and Abjee Pari write: Dear Lola, In periods of high stress, you may think caffeine and nicotine are helping you deal, but it actually worsens your state of mind. Those are the first things you need to cut out from your diet, no matter how hard it seems. A piece of fruit or salad will give you the vitamins you need to strive in the long term, and of course, nothing can replace six good hours of sleep every night. Seems your stress comes from spreading yourself too thin between a part time job and a full course of study. Why donít you reduce the number of your classes so that you can manage your time better and also you will do better in your assignments? After all, it is not mandatory for most college students to keep a full load of courses. The great thing about college is you are given in most cases great flexibility in making your own schedule. While we do not advise you to stretch your college years indefinitely, remember that you can always take one course you drop for the semester in the summer instead. You have to schedule your life very carefully. The first thing you do is to buy yourself a calendar and start assigning your homework or projects so that you do not realize the night before you have an assignment due. One good way of doing this is to write down the deadline for an assignment three times in your calendar. Even if you do not get to it in the first warning, you will be reminded of it again two other times. Set your personal deadlines a couple of weeks in advance of the due date as well. For example, an essay is due in your Pol. Sci class on the 30th of March. Make a note of it in your calendar three times, on January 10 , February 10, and March 10. Mark the March 10 entry in red so that you know you are reaching a critical time. This still gives you 20 days before the real deadline and it is also a good time to assess whether you should ask your professor for advice if you are stuck, and maybe even an extension. Prioritize! You may want to work first on your shortest and easiest assignments because you can cross them off your list and then have time to sit down for the big research projects for example. It is kind of like managing your finances. Make a list of your debts/assignments starting with the smallest and working your way to the most daunting. It is a psychological boost to be able to cross some items off your to do list. Socializing and being surrounded by positive people is also an important aspect of overcoming stress. It helps to have real supportive people that you like a lot in your life who want you to succeed, especially during finals, so it's not a good time to have that serious argument with your boyfriend during these demanding periods. As busy as you are, sometimes, you need some quality time for yourself to regroup. Go to a matinee, or have a cup of coffee with the morning paper. Recharge and you will be able to deal with the work you have head on. The abjeez believe the most productive time is in the morning. For some reason, (maybe that heavy burrito meal!) we start to slow down after lunch. Make sure you schedule the bulk of your work for the morning and wake up early to get a good start. College students have a lot of stress; there's no denying it. But college is what you make of it. If you stay focused and balance your life, you'll feel much more relaxed and healthier when it's time to wear your cap and gown. Now, that's an achievement you've earned for life! Take Care, * Send this page to your friends
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