Living Stress-Free: Keeping Things Simple

Today is the first day of my last semester of college! A day like today fills me with excitement, but also leaves me on the terrified side of the spectrum as well. However, I am determined to make the next 4 months enjoyable, while still allowing myself to strive for success in school.

You see, I don’t do too well under pressure. Let me rephrase that- I produce great things under pressure (like homework assignments, projects, etc) but only at the sacrifice of my personal health. My last year of college has left me really anxious, high strung, and just stressed overall. Anxious because I always feel like I have more things to get done; high strung because I feel as though other responsibilities in my life keep me from getting them done; and stressed because I can sense my health and relationships suffering because of it.

Wow- that sentence sounded depressing.

Here are just a few things I do when I am stressed:

1. Eat chocolate
2. Yell at people
3. Avoid sleep

While #1 is a great way to relieve stress , I know that none of these things, shall we say, “fix” my stressed-out self. So, as I sit here and write this, preparing for my first week of school, I have come up with a few things that actually will help me freak out less over the next 4 months.

The overarching theme of Operation Keep Kaylie Stress Free deals with simplifying my life and being proactively ready for anything… & looking at my favorite mural in Laguna Beach. While I know that I can’t be ready for everything, I know that I can do a better job when it comes to preparing for each week, staying on top of studying, & sticking to a schedule.One thing that is crazy important for me to do, though, is to not over-complicate things. The first thing that comes to mind as I typed that sentence was my insane schedules that I come up with… on a daily basis. Whether it is financial, classes, or workout schedules, I tend to go a little overboard with the planning. What do I mean by this?

I mean that I create unrealistic goals that, deep down, I know I will never accomplish.

So what are some things that I know I actually can accomplish? I came up with a list of things I can do to streamline my days and create a stress-free less stressed environment.

A Simple, Stress Free Schedule:

On a Daily Basis~Create a list of things to do each day that is consistent.

• Sunday- Grocery Shop & Prep Food for the Week
• Monday- Personal Hygiene (mani/pedi, shave legs, etc.)
• Wednesday-Laundry & Clean Room
• Friday- Create workout programs & Wash Car
• Saturday- Prep Blog Posts for Next Week

On a Weekly Basis~ Long-term school goals & spending time with loved ones.

• Sunday- Study for 2 hours & spend time with friends/family
• Monday- Study for 1 hour
• Tuesday- Lunch w/ friend @ school & Study for 1 hour
• Wednesday- Study for 2 hours
• Thursday- Lunch w/ friend & Study for 1 hour
• Friday- Study for 2 hours and Friend hangout night
• Saturday- Family Dinner, Date night with Kevin, & Church

All in all, I think that having these guidelines will help me to plan more effectively, leaving me time to myself to keep from going insane. Because that is everyone’s main goal in life, right? To accomplish our dreams without going insane?

My Question For You Is…

How do you handle a busy schedule?

Do you ever find yourself eating chocolate to relieve stress?

See ya~ Kay