Top 10 Ways to Deal with Finals Week Stress

Everyone has stress while attending school. It doesn't matter if your goal is to be a  medical assistant or a registered nurse, the last few weeks of the semester is going to be stressful with everything wrapping up. Here is the top 10 ways to cope with your stress. 

1. Avoiding Procrastination! 

Sure it's easier said than done for some people, but it's truly a way to hinder yourself from being successful. Compile a list of tasks that need to be finished, even little things such as preparing for a presentation. Once you have your list of everything to get done, put it in order of what makes the most sense by when things are due. Obviously you need to complete research before writing a paper or giving a presentation. These things aren't rocket science! 

2. Time Management

Everyone has many things going on besides just school, such as work, family, and friends. The trick is to juggle everything without anything falling apart. You have probably been doing this most of the semester, but you'll need to work harder for just a little while longer as the semester approaches completion. 

3. Music and Dance

Everyone needs a break once in awhile! After I accomplish a small task, I like to celebrate by turning up some music I enjoy and dancing around. It helps to stretch everything out and gets the blood pumping. When I'm short on time, I will also do something, such as clean my apartment. 

4. Walk

A brief walk outside can really be beneficial, even taking the trash out, or walking around the block. You are getting fresh air, blood circulating, and a bit of exercise to counter-act all of the sitting down while studying you've probably been doing lately. 

5. Drink Green Tea

Green tea has many benefits we've all heard of. It also has the important caffeine that helps keep us alert. I personally do not enjoy the taste of green tea, so I have discovered a way that I do enjoy it. I brew a bag of tea, then ice it down and put some drink flavor in it. I prefer to mix some powdered sugar free lemonade powder, or a squirt of MiO. 

6. Reduce Caffeine at Night

Despite being exhausted, you really should think twice about getting that coffee after dinner. Drinking caffeine too late will interfere with getting a good night's rest, we've all heard this before. If you aren't sleeping well during the night, it will only continue the cycle of that exhausted feeling.  

7. Color

One of the most enjoyable activities for me is to color with crayons or markers like we did as a child. I will set aside 10 minutes when I am stressed to color and relax my mind.

8. Mini-Vacation 

Take a hour or two to travel to another town near by and grab lunch at a sit-down restaurant with friends. Not only are you getting out of the library, you are setting aside specific time for friends and getting fresh air. School is important, but so is your health and social life as well. 

9. Night with Friends

Plan a relaxing evening with some friends at home. I would suggest guys preparing a pot luck supper to catch up and enjoy food. For ladies I would suggest planning a spa night, where everyone brings some sort of treatment or ingredients for home-made recipes. Be sure if you are doing nails, everyone has their own sanitized nail file. Offer hydrating facial treatments and paint one another's toes. 

10. Alone Time

Some people just need alone time to relax. I would suggest using guided imagery, watching and participating with a yoga DVD, or even meditation. 

7 Tips on How to be a Productive Housewife

The notion of being a housewife is just an unemployed wife, staying at home doing household chores, and taking care of the kids. That is the first thing most people will think when you say you’re a housewife. Is that what you’re thinking too? I am a housewife but I can say I have a great life.

Being a housewife is not an easy job and it’s without pay too that’s why most women are unhappy. It’s time to make a change. Cheer up momma! Even though you’re just a housewife you can be productive on your own. It’s not too late to open your door too some things that will make a difference. All you need to do is manage your time properly, be a positive thinker, and move it!

Here are some tips for you to help you be a productive housewife and be happy even you’re just at home:

1.     Schedule Household Chores

Make a list on the things that you need to accomplish in the house and make a schedule when to work on them. From the time you wake up, cook breakfast, dish washing, drop kids to school, clean the house, pick up kids from school, grocery shopping, dinner preparation, gardening, and laundry. Grocery shopping, gardening and laundry can be done once a week, right? If you put things on a certain time schedule, you can accomplish a lot of things on time and you will have more time for yourself. You’ll not feel exhausted. This is time management.

2.    Dance to the Beat!

Housewives should look better than wives with a regular job. Yes,, because you have more time for yourself at home. That should be the case. Don't take yourself for granted. While doing your household chores turn on the music and dance to the beat. While the laundry is spinning, groove it. You will feel great and will be healthy and fit.

3.    Read Motivational Books

When you read books that will help you change your old self defeating thoughts, it will really make a significant difference to the way you view life. Being positive opens your signal to good opportunities, happy family, and good luck.

4.    Social Media Networking

Who says it’s boring to stay at home? What is the internet doing? You can connect to your long lost friends from high school or college, distant relatives, business associates, and meet new friends online. This way you have a social life and it’s a high tech way of keeping in touch.

5.    Current Events

Since you are at home, this is your chance to be up to date on the current events. Be smart on knowing the weather forecast, showbiz issues, up-coming movies, political issues. This will help your family prepare for the day and be informed too on what’s happening in the world. You will be the home based reporter. How about that?

6.    Online Education

Staying at home sometimes make you feel you are not smart. But, hey you are! You just have to dig deeper. Believe in yourself and strive more. It’s not too late to have a degree or add something to your knowledge. Why not check on the best accredited online schools? There are a lot to choose from. You can try to enhance your present knowledge or learn a new one. Learning is for all and not just for kids. This is your chance to keep your mind sharp. Don’t be afraid to feed your brain. You will feel good doing this. I’m so sure.

7.    Virtual Work

I bet you are surprised with this virtual work. Yes, you can be a virtual contractor/freelancer. This is a person who works remotely and provides various services to different business people. Meaning, you can earn money while you are at home. But, be careful because there a lot of scammers out there. You can work as a freelance writer, blogger, transcriber, translator, English as Second Language Teacher, survey taker, website builder, recruiter, call center agent, bookkeeper, administrative assistant, and a lot more. There are some well known outsourcing platforms online where you can create your profile and bid for projects. All you need is your computer and your basic skills. It’s amazing because you’re at home but you are earning dollars and you can still do your duties as a wife and a mother. That’s what they call multitasking.

I think being a housewife is the most amazing status a woman can be because you can do a lot of things in one day without neglecting your family. Now that you know how to be a productive housewife, what are you waiting for? Go on and widen your horizons and be proud of yourself. I am a productive housewife. I know you can too. No one can say I am just a housewife doing nothing because I can do more things than any woman can do with a regular job.

By: Ritchell Thibodeaux

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