It’s school time once again. I can feel the school spirit as days pass by. Bookstores and malls are jampacked. Banks are crowded, as well. Whining and excitement of students are getting louder and louder each day. This will be the second year that I’ll just be watching the students go back to their beloved alma mater or step their feet on their new second home.

“It’s funny that you’ve been doing everything to get out of this place and when you’ve found the time to leave, it’s when you’ve also found the reason to stay…” - school

It has been a year since I graduated from college. It was a nice feeling that, finally, everything I’ve sacrificed and worked hard for has paid off. But within those 12 months of being a bum. there are times that I become nostalgic about school. When I was a student, I really envied those fresh graduates who often visit in school. I used to tell myself that someday, I am going to be like them. Wanting and dreaming to be like the graduates became one of my inspirations and motivation in studying hard. There are a lot of things that I miss in school: my friends, my classmates, my group mates, my cool and stingy professors and clinical instructors, group activities, daily quizzes, and yes, allowance (especially for a jobless person like me). Despite my serious attitude when it comes to academics, I still enjoyed a lot in my school life. Although, there is one thing I really hated in school. STRESS.

Stress is everybody’s worst enemy, I guess - may it be in school, work or at home. Being a nursing student was really stressful like in any other courses. We had clinical duties 8 hours a day for three times in a week, 3 days and 2 nights of community immersion every week until the contract ends, a lot of reports, nursing care plans and drug studies to finish and to submit, “short” quizzes which are 50-100 items and that is already considered a short quiz for us, return demonstrations for every nursing procedures, and those dreadful oral revalidas about nursing concepts which really made me anxious. Argh. It all gave me stress.

Stressed is Desserts when spelled backwards. It’s just a piece of cake!

Did you know that stress is one of the causes, precipitating or risk factors of some diseases? Here are some of them that I remember: Raynaud’s disease, coronary artery disease, hyperthyroidism, hypertension (which can lead to stroke and aneurysm), peptic ulcer disease, migraine headache and etc. I assume that you don’t want to acquire any of those diseases that I have mentioned, right? Since prevention is better than cure, we should then avoid getting stressed. If we can’t avoid it, maybe we can at least lessen it. Now go kill your professors, bosses or boyfriends/girlfriends! Hehe. Just kidding.

I found something from Gems of Thought (again). This isn’t purely about stress but some of it might help us in lessening stress in work or even in our studies.

1. Don’t get the idea that you are Atlas, carrying the world on your shoulder. The world would go on even without you. Don’t take yourself so seriously. - I admit that I am guilty in this item. That was the time that I was the leader in all of our subjects! Imagine the world I was carrying back then. Haha.

2. Tell yourself that you like your work. The it will become a pleasure, not a drudgery. Perhaps, you do not need to change your job. Change yourself and your work will seem different. - I never really liked nursing at first that is why it was so hard for me to cope up with everything. It was only in my third year in college when I learned to love it. And swear, I really enjoyed nursing a lot. That is why when you choose a course, you have to choose what you really love to do. And when it comes to your job, apply for work in a place where you know you would enjoy every days of your life because you are “into” it.

3. Plan your work. Work your plan. Lack of system produces that “I’m swamped” feeling. - True! You won’t be able to finish a task if it is disorganized. Make a checklist!

4. Don’t try to do everything at once. That is why time is spread out. Operate on that wise advice from the Bible, “This one thing I do.” - Take on step at a time in layman’s term.

5. Get a correct mental attitude. Think a job is hard, and you will make it hard. Think it is easy, and it will tend to become so. - Just condition yourself that it’s an easy task. It’s a piece of cake, right?

6. Become an expert in your work. It is always easier to do a thing right. - Practice makes perfect. If you’re having difficulties in math problems, try to answer 3 math problems a day and check how the solution is done. If you are having difficulty in remembering laboratory values, memorize at least 5 lab. values a day, and it will really be a lot easier to remember.

7. Practice being relaxed. Easy always does it. Don’t press or strain. - Don’t pressure yourself too much. Try deep breathing exercises. I am once again guilty in this item.

8. Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. It only makes tomorrow’s job harder. It piles up on you. Keep your work on schedule. - I am a crammer, and for a reason that I do not know, it is really effective for me. Haha. But I admit that it added pressure when I saw all those piled works.

9. At the start of everyday, pray about your work. You will get some of your best ideas in that way. - Ask for Divine Guidance. =)

10. Take along your “Unseen Partner”. It is surprising the load he will take off you. God is as much at home in offices and shops as in churches. He knows more about your business than you do. - Do your best and God will do the rest. Amen to that.

I believe that if we follow those 10 steps, our stress brought by *insert causes/reasons here* will be lessened. What do you think?

So to Mr. Stress, get out of our lives. Goodbye to you. =P

God bless and Good luck to the students of school year 2007 - 2008. Aja!