I’m addicted to stress

Well, not really, but I love that song and wanted to post an entry on stress — specifically, how do you deal with it?

So, a week from this Saturday I’m taking the biochem, cell and molecular bio subject GRE test and I’m feeling more than a little freaked out.  I know graduate schools take account of a lot of other factors, but it’s a damn big, scary, impossible test that tests your whole 4+ years of undergrad education in your field nonetheless… that and I’ve never done well with standardized tests.  Never ever.

Anyway, what does everyone here do to help cope with stress?  I know Andrew’s dealing with a lot of it too right now with his defense coming up, so I thought this would be a useful thing to toss up here.   Personally, all I seem to be able to do to "deal" right now is remember to eat, sleep, breathe, and realize it will be over soon, one way or another…

5 Responses to “I’m addicted to stress”

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It sounds more dramatic than it really was..I had a really REALLY mild case (hence why I thought it was chigger bites!) But it was freaky when I found out what it actually was. The internet has some very scary pictures!

But if anybody at works tells me I’m not working enough over-time…I’m telling them I got shingles cuase I was stressed about work! 😛

Mallorn - November 4th, 2005 at 5:21 am

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Self-medicate…a glass of “heart medicine” does wonders…

Tylenol PM to ensure a good night’s sleep and lots of vitamin C.

Oh, and if you get a strange looking rash around your waistline that blisters and hurts, go see the doctor. It’s not poison ivy or chigger bites, it’s shingles.

Who’s says you don’t learn anything after college? :-p

Mallorn - November 3rd, 2005 at 6:33 pm

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(Shingles!)

Teisha - November 3rd, 2005 at 6:47 pm

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First off, I wanted to link to the song Teisha was referencing, because Addicted to Stress by Jim’s Big Ego is awesome!

Regarding real stress– Yeah, trying to keep it in perspective is important, and forcing yourself to do fun things. I’m slowly learning that a lot of my stress is from my attitude, and the changes I need in my life need to be in me, not in my environment. Which is frustrating– I don’t know how I ended up so uptight! *blames his parents… because it’s an easy target* Anyway, good luck with the test, Teisha! I have total faith in you. 🙂

And Mallorn– Shingles? DAMN. Is Boeing that stressful? *sympathy* I’m sorry, shingles are awful. Kind of makes me feel like I don’t have it that bad off, in comparison.

Paradoxdruid - November 3rd, 2005 at 9:31 pm

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When I used to get stressed out I would freak out and cry. And then I’d be fine for several weeks and could just plan better. But, to be honest, that seems a little unstable and not very healthy. 🙂

So, what I do now is try to create a reward system for myself. For example, I love playing the Sims 2. However, if I have homework (I’m taking a weaving class and a knitting class) that I don’t feel like doing I say “Once I weave six inches, I can play my game for thirty minutes.” That way I can tackle the “stress” in bits.

At the end of college, I did similar things, but I’d have to do more (read two chapters, study for an hour, etc) and I’d get less (ten pages of reading in a pleasure book or fifteen minutes of Sims). It sounds dorky, but I so wanted the rewards, I’d do the work.

ShortSpeedFreak - November 4th, 2005 at 9:32 am

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