Day 2 – Time to Let Go

I’ve got a pathophysiology exam today, so day 2 has arrived just in time!  If ever there was a need to let go, it’s today!

Today we look at the important role your mind plays in your stress response.  It really is the conductor of the orchestra known as your body.  Stress starts in your mind when you perceive a situation to be threatening.  You decide whether the situation you are facing is stressful or not.  That one decision triggers a cascade of events in your body and you will feel what you feel based on the question you asked and the answer you gave.

Carrying things around (like have I done enough study or do I really get it) will keep your subconscious mind occupied forever (well, until you decide to stop carrying it around with you).  It’s still weighing you down, using up energy and affecting how you feel.  Worrying about something won’t change the outcome so rather than carrying things around, choose to park it, let it go.  There’s a great exercise on Day 2 called the Heavy Load exercise that allows you to do just that.

For those of you who follow Reiki, Dr Mikao Usui devised 5 principles:

  1. Just for today, do not worry.
  2. Just for today, do not be angry.
  3. Just for today be grateful; honour your teachers, parents and elders.
  4. Just for today, earn your living honestly.
  5. Just for today, show compassion to every living being.

Here’s a little exercise to help you let go of that which you no longer need.

  1. Think of something or someone that you are now ready to let go of and write it down on a piece of paper.
  2. Relax your body (for example by listening to the Light Exercise)
  3. Once you are feeling relaxed, bring your piece of paper to your heart and imagine there is a beam of rose pink light travelling from your heart and into this piece of paper.
  4. You might like to acknowledge this experience by saying thank you for the learning and voicing that you now feel ready to let this issue go.
  5. Imagine you are a tree and dig your feet deep into the Earth so that you feel really grounded and connected.
  6. Go into the park or the woods or pull out an old flowerpot and bury your note in the ground.  As you do this, imagine yourself letting go of whatever is written on your piece of paper.  (if you have buried it in a flowerpot, you might like to get some nice herbs or flowers to plant in the pot)

Tags: Emotional Stress, Exam Stress, Focus and Meaning, Reduce Your Stress Programme by Tracy
No Comments »

Free Teleseminar on Reducing Your Stress

Wednesday 7 November 2007 is National Stress Awareness Day

In recognition of this day, I will be hosting a free teleseminar looking at exactly what stress is, how it affects your body and discussing some ways in which you can reduce your stress.

 To register for this free teleseminar, please click on the link Reduce Your Stress

Tags: Emotional Stress, Exam Stress, Financial Stress, Focus and Meaning, Relaxation, Stress FAQ, Stress Related Illness, Work-Related Stress by Tracy
1 Comment »

Hooray! You’ve Made It Through Induction Week

Congratulations to everybody who made it through induction week. I wish you every success in your studies.

Induction week is a stressful time for some students. Some have moved countries, cities, careers and identities in order to study.

I have been speaking with quite a few students over the last week and noticed a few themes that may help you to reduce any test anxiety and stress. Test anxiety I hear you say? We haven’t even started lectures yet. I know, and yet so many students in their first week are worrying about how they will cope with the workload in year 3.

Coping Strategies

  1. Be aware of the outcomes you’re looking for in this semester and break those down into mini projects. Don’t worry about year 3, focus on what you want to achieve this semester.
  2. Draw up a weekly timetable. Colour code it for each distinct activity such as lectures, pre-reading, revising, exercise, relaxation time etc. By allocating time and ensuring you build rest and recreation into your timetable you will be able to work with your body to manage your stress. All to often when the deadlines emerge, those necessities for staying stress-free get forgotten about. Make exercise and rest-time a priority.
  3. List all your deadlines on a wall planner. This helps you spot in an instant busy times so that you can plan your workload around them.

Over the next few weeks we will look at study skills and learning styles so that you can get the most out of university life without getting too stressed.

Tags: Exam Stress by Tracy
No Comments »