Dealing With Stress

I'll be the first to admit that I stress myself out. Usually, it's because I take on too many things each semester. Every year, I promise myself that I would cut back on something, but I always renege on that one. This semester alone, I'm doing the following: President of Hillel, Director of Scheduling Operations at The Emerson Channel, Executive Producer of "Speechless," Associate Producer of the Kevin Bright sitcom "The Record Cellar," two other classes (one of which is at the 500 level), member of the Academic Policy Committee, and member of the Faculty of the Future Committee. On top of that, I live off campus.

Other times, I cause myself undue stress because I think things are worse than they really are and start to freak out. That's never a good idea; I think I have a stress line on my forehead because of that. Based on my experience, I've come up with the following ways to effectively manage stress:

1) Don't have a meltdown. It's embarrassing, and it doesn't solve anything.

2) However, it's OK to vent every now and then.

3) BREATHE, and have a moment to yourself. I usually devote an hour of "me time" everyday.

4) Always live by: "Everything will be alright in the end." Be an optimist!

5) Surround yourself with nice, productive people. They're out there!

6) Take each day one at a time. If you think about too many things at once, you'll burn yourself out even more.

7) Treat yourself every now and then. There's nothing worse than having a low self-esteem, because that ultimately affects your work and your attitude.

8) When the weather is nice, take advantage of it! Fresh walks are great for clearing your mind.

9) Be solution-oriented!!!

10) Be in control of the situation; only you can set yourself back.