the encouragement lounge: Stress management -- if you need it, take a break!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Stress management -- if you need it, take a break!

And here's another piece of end-of-semester advice, this contributed by my colleague and collaborator Melanie Booth from Prattlenog:

Sometimes, when you've tried everything to keep in the groove and stay in the groove and you're still feeling burned out, tired, or drained of all motivation, it's actually just best to acknowledge your feelings and take a little break from it all -- a mini-vacation from school stuff. Even only one or two days away from it, where you don't touch a book or work on a paper or even *think* about an upcoming test, and instead where you do something that will give you energy and focus -- such as planting your garden, going on a long hike, or doing things you enjoy with friends -- you can return to your studies having felt like you've had a little vacation. And even though you may not be actively be doing things during that time, chances are your brain will still be working for you and you may not even know it. (Of course, it's important to schedule your little vacation so that you don't skip classes or miss assignments. It's also important that you do come back!)

Cheering you on in your work!

Harriet

2 comments:

AudreyMay 6, 2011 at 9:33 AM
Though many schools are finishing up their finals, some of us still have several weeks worth of classes to attend. Any helpful advice to those of us still pulling the long haul?
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Harriet SchwartzMay 7, 2011 at 1:46 PM
Hi Audrey, Thanks for your question! See my new post and the next few, for suggestions. Harriet
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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.