Coming into this time of the semester when you open up your planner and realize you have 3 papers due one day after the other plus a midterm and that random sonnet that you feel no inspiration for it is very easy to become overwhelmed by stress. And, life in all of its irony, naturallly chooses this as a good time for Spring Fever to set in, making the final sprint to the finish line of the semester seem nearly impossible.
And what can we do about it? Perhaps drop out of school...but maybe that's not such a practical option. There is also the option of becoming completely consumed by the stress and allowing yourself to run on empty and survive only off the fumes of desperation and the knowledge that you NEED to get through. Or you can face the stress dead on and find a way to overcome it. Go for a walk, or a run in the sun. Take thirty minutes for coffee (or tea in my case) with a good friend or simply grab a good book and read (even if only one chapter).
I am currently reading a book by Anne Lamott entitled "Grace (Eventually)" and she says, "When you give up on your mind to solve a problem - which your mind is holding on to like a dog with a chew toy - writing it down helps turn off the terrible alertness."
We are all writers (I assume, or we wouldn't be in this class) So my suggestion is when all else fails (or perhaps before you try any other solution) write it down. Release the tension and stress. And remember...soon it will all be a distant memory!
~ Lauren Bersaglio.
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it would seem that stress is the new thing to blog about. must be the end of semester.
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