Start of School Stress

I don't know about you, but I always get super stressed in the first month of school. Even though its one of the easier months, just getting back into the swing of everything stresses me out! Once summer begins I get so accustom to the relaxed schedule, that when I go back to school I get stressed just by having to manage my time. And even though I do it every year, each year I feel like it gets harder and harder. And its always the same things that I have to learn to balance: First off, you can no longer have an easy work schedule, you have to balance it around your classes and your other extra activities you have. Secondly, you have homework. And with that comes learning new material and refreshing your study habits. And finally, your social life. At the beginning of the school year, mine always seems to flare up. There making shirts, going to rallies and dances, etc. And while doing stuff with my friends is fun, sometimes with all the other stuff I have to do, it seems like I have no time for it. Hopefully this will all be over soon and I can finally get use to my new schedule. Anyway, if anyone else is going through this, feel free to vent, your defiantly not the only one, and good luck!

Its Never Easy to Say Goodbye

While I like to try and keep my blog as upbeat as possible, today I want to address a very serious issue that has recently affect me and many of the people close to me. This is issue is one that is all too common and should not be. It is one that needs even more awareness and support than ever. This issue is suicide, and here's my story.
This summer during July a friend of mine committed suicide. He was an amazing person: he was hilarious,caring, and loved by everyone, which has made it even harder to understand why this happened. Just thinking about what he must have been going through to do this make me cry.
For me the incident didn't set in right away, and it wasn't until the first day of school when I realized I'd never see him again. This idea has now become one that I have now been struggling with ever since. As I said, his presence was one of a kind, and having to accept that I will never get to see it again makes me cry. What made the pain of his death even worse was seeing what it did to his really close friends. His friends, who have always been good kids, are having such trouble coping with his sudden, unexplained death that they have  gone on a scary path trying to numb the pain. Which got me thinking, if his close friends are this upset, imagine how his own family must feel. The saddest part of everything though is that no one will every get to say their finally goodbye, and everyone is left questioning what they could have done differently to prevent this tragedy.
So this ones to you big guy. You will be forever missed. RIP.

 ****For anyone who ever feels as my friend did please talk to someone. No one should deserve to go through that kind of pain, espcalliy on their own. If something is making you so upset that it is pushing you to contemplate death it is obviously important. Don't take the pain lightly or feel embrassed to talk about it. You are not alone. Many others feel this way. And if you don't feel comfortable talking to someone you know, there are other resources out there: school counseluers, suicide hotlines, or even community health centers. So please, please talk to someone because you don't deserve to go through that. You are important.
***** For those of who have ever had to deal with a suicide, you know how hard it is to deal with and my heart goes out to you.

A Student's Worst Enemy: Procrastination

Since my last three blogs have been about dealing with stress, I figured I should keep this theme rolling. Time Management. As a student myself, this tends to be one of my BIGGEST stresses. I am a horrible procrastinator, always have been. I mean, just this summer I did it to myself again. I was assigned two books to read at the beginning of June, both due the second week of August, but just having gotten done with school, I figured I needed a break and decided to give myself the month of June off- I'd still have almost two months left. But, by the time July came the idea of reading still seemed like something I didn't really want to do. It was summer, I wanted to go out with friends, station myself in front of the T.V., basically just do anything other than stimulate my mind . So through out July I only half-way tried, maybe a chapter or two on the plane or  by the pool, but not a substantial amount. Before I knew it though it was August, so I finally started reading, and i've been having to cram myself with reading since. This got me thinking about all my procrastination, and if I really wanted to go through another school year like that, so lately i've been looking for ways to help me manage my time better. Here are somethings that looked interesting to me:

1. Keep a daily planner and each day think of one thing you can do on your project. Don't overwhelm your self, just pick one small thing. For example: for a book, pick a certain number of pages you have to read in one night, or for a paper, go paragraph by paragraph. 

2. Limit your distractions. Without the T.V., phone, or computer near by you might feel more obligated to work. Try leaving them in another room when you work.

3. Try doing the easy part first, ease into the task.

4. Or vice versa, try doing the hard part first, get it out of the way.

5. Work at a time when you feel most energized. Don't leave it till last when your tired and cranky, it'll just make you want to do it less.

6. Each time you do a little something on the project reward yourself; eat a treat, paint your nails, call a friend, whatever you like to do.

So those are my tips! Hope they work for you:)