Any good stress reliever tips out there?

[saucyaussies]

well, my second semester is wrapping up....and I'm a tad bit stressed.  I don't normally get stressed, but this semester has kicked my butt.  got all the good stressed side effects, cold sore, CRANKY, stress induced eczema type spot on my arm, CRANKY, heart palpiations (I know I'm getting over the top stressed when that happens), CRANKY, tired, moody (not just cranky, up one minute, sad the next)...did I mention cranky?

Does anyone care to share any tips that work for them when they get really stressed?  I am considering going to my dr it is so bad...and I rarely go.

End of May and I'm all done...and middle of April and all my assignements are done!  (May is just practicum).  Then my parents go away middle of April and it will start all over again...every time they go away an animal dies, and having lost two cats in 3 months, I'm not quite ready for another....

[patty]

Does anyone care to share any tips that work for them when they get really stressed? 

vodka and cranberry juice!! 
 
besides that i try to think of 1 thing at a time. with me i freak out when i think of all the stuff piled on my plate in one big heap and i lose it. i know i can only do 1 thing at a time and i keep focus on that. i'll write things down and cross them off the list as it applies. i prioritize because i'll worry over something that is happening next month.focus on the steps you're taking, not the big to do list. like while your test may be in may or whatever, don't worry about may, just take the necessary steps one by one and work at getting there. i know it's alot harder than what it sounds. also, sounds like part of the problem is that you're scared about losing a pet, please don't do this to yourself. animals don't die every time they leave, it just seems that way because the last few times it happened. exercise helps alot, punching/kickboxing, meditation, yoga. make sure you take time for yourself doing what you enjoy, not what you have to do...there's a big difference. maybe your standards/expectations are too high? something to think about. hang in there friend.....

[Carol]

get out your daily planner.  chart in all assignments, clinical dates and study times.....once it is all in the planner-actually chart in sleep time...making sure you're getting 8 hrs. at least 4 of those days.  Once it is on paper ONLY take it day by day-crossing off each item as it is done.  It helps pace you, makes sure you sleep and I even tell my students to include a 2 hr. chunk each week blocked out for just FUN.  play in the yard with the dogs, go swing at the elementary school , read a Bible Study,or just watch T.V. but if you don't take that two hours, it will slow down your productivity and make you even more cranky.  And yes, we heard you mention that you're slightly cranky...s'o.k. vent here as you need and we'll give you tons of support to get you through the next two months....you CAN and WILL do it, hang in there !!!! HUGS!!!!

[saucyaussies]

thanks guys...patty, I had a big long respone written out and my computer froze....grrr.

Carol, if I didn't have my planner, i would certainly die.  Luckily my dogs force me to take time off, they can be a bit of a pain in the butt if I ignore...I guess its good to have persistant dogs. 

I'm slowly slogging my way through everything...once April 18 has come and gone that will be so much better, that is when my last assignment is due.  Thankfully no exams!  Whew!  Well I have one for my breastfeeding counsellor course on Sat, but that is no biggie.  I could probably not write it and still pass...got 92 on the midterm.

Have an agility trial this weekend.  Will be like the others at the time of year, I go with my laptop and work on papers in between runs...but at least I am out being social too!

Got a cold on top of all this.  Lovely.  Yesterday I thought it might be the flu...today just a cold. 

[JoeF]

Silly you have the best stress reliever available sitting at your feet.  Furry and four legged. Nothing beats stress more than playing with the pups. Well that and a glass of wine. 

[saucyaussies]

Yah...they are probably wondering why they get so many hugs lately....LOL!

[Louisa]

Does anyone care to share any tips that work for them when they get really stressed? 

besides that i try to think of 1 thing at a time. with me i freak out when i think of all the stuff piled on my plate in one big heap and i lose it. i know i can only do 1 thing at a time and i keep focus on that. i'll write things down and cross them off the list as it applies. i prioritize because i'll worry over something that is happening next month.focus on the steps you're taking, not the big to do list. like while your test may be in may or whatever, don't worry about may, just take the necessary steps one by one and work at getting there. i know it's alot harder than what it sounds. also, sounds like part of the problem is that you're scared about losing a pet, please don't do this to yourself. animals don't die every time they leave, it just seems that way because the last few times it happened. exercise helps alot, punching/kickboxing, meditation, yoga. make sure you take time for yourself doing what you enjoy, not what you have to do...there's a big difference. maybe your standards/expectations are too high? something to think about. hang in there friend.....

ABSOLUTELY agree!!  I do this all the time!  (and Carol's advice as well)   saucy:  I am actually going back this coming Fall for my Masters, and I did the whole crazy stressed-out thing with classes in the past and still have more to look forward to!  I also too have felt overwhelmed by things to the point of wanting to see someone about it, just as stress relief itself.  But I found some other things that have helped out.  Don't know if you do any of this right now....Organization is very much key.  That, and a few other things that helped me:  everynight I TRIED to make sure I was in bed by a decent hour, sleep you know is critical.  And I would allow a half hour to read a good book (nah, not a textbook...a GOOD book  ) or watch a bit of a movie I liked even if I watched it 15 times before, (I have a TV/DVD in my bedroom for this reason) or to watch a little TV, I usually fall asleep much quicker...doesn't work for everyone maybe, but getting my mind off of things in MY life and all the endless things we have to do, helped me zone out and get more rest.  I often had/have a lot of insomnia sometimes because of off lying there thinking of all the things I have to get accomplished.    So make sure above all you are getting the rest you need.  I believe it's 7-9 hours...maybe 10. No more, you will feel worse sleeping longer even though any longer than that is probably a dream itself to you!
And I also run.  And I LOVE running!  I wish I could get my little weiner's legs to lengthen a few hours out of the week to go along with me, because as Joe said, she is my little dose of medicine sometimes as well.  However, I love it.  If you haven't already, INVEST in one of those mp3 players (iPod...I chose one by Rio www.rioaudio.com), download your favorite songs...you can fit a few hundred at least on one of these players.  And let yourself go.  Walk, run...it will feel great afterwards.  And over time, it's excellent stress-relief.  When I started, I felt like it was torture for 15 minutes.  Now, I am doing 5 miles at least 3-4 days a week and looking very forward to it.  It's "me" time.  Listen to my music, and run all that stress off!  I am lucky enough to have a 15 mile trail about a mile from my home, and in the cold months, I hit the treadmill at the gym... not sure where you are going but when I went to college, they had a nice fitness center free to students.  Or they sometimes offer the yoga and etc for free or very cheap.  They are all good ideas, try them!   

Don't forget it always could be worse, I stress sometimes, and then if I would call up my close friend for many years and talk to her, she was at the time 21 years old with an infant daughter and she felt that it was impossible to go back to school. So she struggled for quite a few years to get on her feet and at the same time provide for her baby without any help.  THAT was dedication. :-)  Eventually, she got her degree.   I honestly felt more proud of her than myself doing anything.  We are very resiliant and capable of great things, as cliche as it sounds, BELIEVE in yourself, because you are the only one that you have 24/7 to tell you that you can do it.  Helps to talk to people too.

Oh, and maybe a facial, a massage or a good pedicure.  That never hurts.
BEST of luck... if all else fails, I stop by the boards here!  I'd say thats good stress-relief as well.