Stop, Take a Breath, Relax

By: Verda A.

You just remembered you have to finish a math project that’s due tomorrow. Speaking of homework, you have to finish that five page English essay on statistics due in two days. Come to think of it, you also have to finish reading chapter 12 in your AP US History book all while noting only the important information. Oh no, now your mom is asking you to take the dog out for a quick run! So much to do, so little time! How are you ever going to be able to finish all your work? Your head is spinning. Your heart rate is quickening. You feel yourself slowly falling…

STOP. TAKE A BREATH. RELAX. 

First figure out what's most important. Begin with assignments due tomorrow and then use any additional time to work on those due later in the week. Set the less pertinent assignments away out of sight. Now, approach each item of homework one at a time. Don’t attempt two different assignments at the same time. Doing so will cause you to mix up your thought process for each. Spend a reasonable amount of time working on this assignment—30 minutes to an hour. If you feel yourself losing your train of thought at any point, stop working on the assignment. Set it aside, take a breath, and relax your nerves. When your head is at ease again, take a go at the next assignment. You can come back to the first after spending some time with this one. Rotating assignments avoids running the risk of over-analyzing something. 

In between rotations, have some “me” time. Get a healthy snack to give you some energy (this means avoid junk food), or exercise for about half an hour to get the blood circulating into your brain. Then sit down and resume working. 

Like I said before, work on each assignment in half-hour increments because rotation is key. Every 30 minutes, get up and move around a little. Go get some water, go to the bathroom, walk around the house --the point is to rest your brain for 10 minutes while exercising to keep your blood flowing. Then, back to it!

Remember, whenever you feel yourself dazing off, stop and take a breath. Relaxation is your ointment to stress. 

You should be able to put in good time for each assignment if you stay clear of distractions. This means no computer or video play-time, no chatting or IMs, no cellphones, and no loud music (you can softly play music if it does not distract you from your work). 

And always remember this while working on a large amount of homework: it’s not the end of the world. It may be important, but try not to lose that all important perspective.