the encouragement lounge: Feeling overwhelmed??? Here are four strategies

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Feeling overwhelmed??? Here are four strategies

The start of graduate school can certainly feel overwhelming. Here are a my top my top four strategies for dealing with feeling overwhelmed. I have listed some of these ideas in other posts, but I'm listing them here together all under this theme.

1. Make a weekly to do list... spend a few minutes with your syllabus and note exactly what you need to do for the next class. This will help you pull back from thinking about all the work over the course of the semester and instead to focus on the most immediate work.

2. Do something every day. Read even one chapter or part of a chapter. Begin an assignment. Heck, even just download articles. Do something. Find little chunks of time: lunch hour, get up early before work, read on the bus... see if you can carve out some extra time. These little bits of work will add up and will help you build and maintain momentum.

3. Take something off your plate. If you have a significant other or kids, ask for their help around the house (e.g. they do dishes while you have "study hall"). If you have a lot of outside of work commitments, this might be time to cut back.

4. Ask for help. If you are still having trouble managing, if it still feels overwhelming, talk with classmates to get ideas on how they are handling the work load. And definitely talk with your professor and/or someone in your academic skills center. Often, someone who is outside of your experience can help you assess and improve time management, work strategies, etc.

You can do this! Remember, many students have come before you, have felt just as overwhelmed, and have succeeded!

Cheering you on,

Harriet

1 comment:

NikhilAugust 26, 2009 at 6:06 AM
Firstly, thank you for the insightful post.

I agree with the four ideas you said, but you know what caught my attention? When you said to make a "to-do" list. Mind if I add something to that idea?

Timing is key. You have to be able to fit in all your "to-do" activities, and also prepare for interrupted time. Because that happen sometimes, and it's NOT a good feeling to suddenly feel short of time. So, by planning even for the unexpected events, you'll be the master of your time, not the other way around.

You'll be in control. Who has time for stress when everything gets done in an orderly fashion?

And you know something else? You'll have that sense of accomplishment. Another "stress-killing" feeling!

For more information on stress relief, feel free to visit http://www.stress-relief-for-you.com

Best Regards,
Nikhil
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Working adult students, on my mind...

I hope this blog will be helpful to friends and others involved in a variety of endeavors. However, I created the blog with students in mind and continue to develop it with that specific group as my focus.

I believe that with the increase in evening, weekend, and low-residency programs, students are working more and more in isolation. If we were all full-time students on campus, we would have the informal support that comes with being able to go down the hall and talk with a colleague, etc. But instead, we are working late nights and weekends at home in front of the laptop.

With that in mind, I hope the encouragement lounge provides brief moments of respite and energizing connection. This does not at all replace valuable face-to-face contact. Many aspects of the academic journey can only be addressed via in-depth conversations with colleagues and teachers. And I would always rather sit down and talk with someone than to communicate online. Nonetheless, my aim is to give you one more channel for quick hits of support.