Hi all! I know it's been a bit of time since I've logged on here, but I'm happy to report back to my small internet following with one of my favorite topics: preparation to succeed! I know...cheesy slogan, but I feel that it carries a lot of merit. One doesn't merely succeed by it happening upon them (usually), but out of the fruit of successful preparation. Proverbs 15:22 says "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed," which basically encompasses the sheer volumes of success that can be gleaned from preparing for the new task whatever it may be. Here are (hopefully) some helpful tips to get back into a swing of things, or start the swing of things.
1. Buy a planner: I know, I have said this a million times, but actually being able to visualize what you have this week is a very effective method of staying organized. Using one of your five senses, you are able to have a tangible grasp on your time. Paper and pen don't usually scream STRESS STRESS because, let's be honest, what's written is written. Your thoughts/anxieties, when regurgitated, are not actually that rational, which is a fun thing about the human brain. Plan your week, note how you REALLY do have free time. Plan that free time to be a productive time. Going in with an idea is great.
2. Planning in advance: Look at your schedule, do you see an exam, a meeting, a trip coming up? Prepare in advance. Do you know in two weeks whether or not you'll be sick? I certainly don't! If you prepare in advance, when things you can't schedule in (i.e. "Stomach flu 1/19-1/21") come up, you will not be completely behind. Stress put on our bodies related to extra worries actually lower our immune system by taking up energy needed to fight off infection. That's one of the reasons why when we're stressed, it seems the cold NEVER goes away! Plus, if you plan in advance, and your boss/professor tells you to do something you weren't aware of, you can do it!
3. Set up a nice bedtime routine! According to Mayo Clinic, adults need about 7-9 hours of
quality sleep. What?! That's a whole lot of sleep at one time. If we have prolonged sleep deprivation, our body's immune response is slower, our chemical processes are decreased, and we're not having as many firing synapses which accounts for grogginess and forgetting things. In your schedule, set a bedtime! A good time to sleep is about 30 minutes before you actually slip into your deeper unconscious mind. For example, I want to get 8 hours of sleep and I must wake up at 6, 9:30 is a good bedtime. The thirty minutes are there to give you a bit of cushion to actually
fall asleep. When going back to school, it may be hard to get into this pattern right away. An over-the-counter sleeping supplement, Melatonin, is an amazing product to help you knock out, PLUS it's a key factor in sleep (actually is what causes you to have eye crust in the morning)
4. CLEAN YOUR ENVIRONMENT!: I cannot stress this enough. Something that is just amazing is falling asleep to Law and Order, however, it can lead to more chronic headaches, and less deep sleep. That and falling asleep in an environment that is crowded, messy, and dirty can affect sleep effectiveness and stress patterns. There is a lot to be said about working with your chi, because when your thoughts are floating to the heap of clothes on the floor, you may be a little distracted. If things are in your room that are out of place, do a complete overhaul, like yesterday, and focus on maintenance. Have you ever been studying and just wanted to clean your house instead? Your unconscious mind may be telling you what is REALLY necessary for you to have an ideal work environment. Same with sleep environment. If you're falling asleep with books on your bed, you are not giving yourself a much needed solace. A helpful tip is to take your books and neatly stack them or reshelve them with a marker of some sort to return to later. Turn your laptop off. Put your phone across the room and on SILENT (not vibrate). An alarm clock away from your bed is helpful too. If you train yourself enough, your bed can be a place your body will associate with rest and not stress, and your sleep with thank you!
5. Turn off electronics at night before you go to sleep: It is imperative to note that electronics with their backlit screens can actually stimulate the mind into thinking it is outside, causing a small increase in energy. If you want to fall asleep in a more full and complete manner, use that 30 minutes I talked about in point number three to have all ipods, computers, ipads, phones, whatever OFF. Staring at the screen checking facebook is not only time consuming, but it is detrimental to your mind's perception of the bed as a solace (point #4). Turn it off, you can text them back in the morning.
6. Know when is most productive for you and when is not: For me, I pretty much am brain dead past 10 PM. If I've had a long day, forget me retaining anything I try to cram in. What's helpful for me, then, is to schedule work at earlier times so that I can actually retain what I need. Some people, the morning is not a thing they like, which is fine. Schedule your work for when you can feasibly retain it. Studies show that retention rate is 60% higher within 24 hours of learning, and whenever you can more effectively study the better. Studying right before bed is usually ineffective as well. Set aside times, when it gets around bed time, resolve that one more hour will probably not do much, close the book, and get ready. Again, more sleep and reinforcement helps you retain. Cramming does not.
7. Resolve your issues: Take care of the fights you've had, drama you've been apart of, and stress you have. If that means merely texting someone, "Hey, if it's alright with you, I'd like to talk tomorrow." your mind is more apt to feeling like the door is closed on that issue so that you can resolve it later. If you're stressed, say a quick prayer, write down your stressors and resolve to deal with them tomorrow. Getting them out of your head will help you recover and not have fitful sleep. I feel that as a person this is super helpful, not to mention getting to sleep in peace!
I hope these tips were helpful!
