You’re stressed out. We all are. Either it’s because of school, work/internship, family, friends, relationships – we’re always under pressure. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in a day for us to do everything that we want and need to get done when we need to get them done. However, when there is too much on our plate, we need to learn how to manage stress and make the best of a bad situation.
Here are 5 tips that can help you get through your day-to-day life under pressure:
Prioritize your life.
Take some time out of your day (if you’re afraid of missing something, set an alarm to remind you when it’s the time!) and write down what needs to get done, what will take up most of your day (for example, if you’re in school or university then this would be homework) and top the list with things that need to get done but don’t take up much of your time (for example, a test or a meeting with your teacher).
Keep a planner.
This is probably the most important thing you can do to avoid stress and it’s also one of those things that seem simple but if you don’t do it, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Write everything down. To-do lists, hours of sleep – anything and everything that’s important. If you’re overwhelmed, try knocking off the least important things on your list first and work your way up to the most important. Don’t forget to prioritize!
Make a schedule for yourself and stick to it.
Now that you’ve written down all of the tasks you need to get done and know how much time it would take for you to do them, all that’s left is prioritizing and making a schedule. Make the schedule specific. For example, don’t just say “homework” but “math at 5 pm.” If your tasks can be done anywhere (for example, laundry) make sure not to put them in the same place as tasks that need to be done where they’re supposed to be done (for example, homework is not allowed in the kitchen but laundry is). Put yourself on a schedule. Make sure you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. If you don’t have an alarm available or simply choose not to use one, make a routine where everything gets done at the same time every day (for example, pack your bag for school before you take a shower).
If it’s not in your planner or on your to-do list, don’t do it!
This is an extension of the first tip and will help you prioritize. If you didn’t put something on your list and it wasn’t a part of your schedule, don’t add it. If you feel like it’s important enough to do, add it to the list/schedule and prioritize it in with everything else. You’ll find that cutting down on distractions will help you focus better on things that need to get done so you can knock them out faster and have more time to waste.
Seek a suitable therapy
Finally, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out and need help coping with it, seek suitable therapy. There’s nothing to be ashamed about – we all get overwhelmed at some point or another. Choose what works for you and stick to the schedule! Maybe, a communication option will be helpful for you to reduce stress and problems.
Conclusion
It’s important to recognize when you’re feeling overwhelmed and try your best to make the most of a bad situation. By making a list, dividing up your tasks into what needs to be done right away and what can wait, prioritizing it all out by importance, making a schedule that includes everything you need to do but also still leaves time for you to relax and recover, not doing things that aren’t on your list or in your schedule (unless you find it important enough for one of those two), and finally, seeking suitable therapy when you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’ll be able to face the stress with better management. These tips can help you cope with day-to-day problems.