With the semester’s end fast approaching and the final exam weeks coming up I bet all of you are more stressed than you have ever been. I know for one that I am overloaded with work this week, but I have been practicing keeping a positive attitude and not keeping off my assignments till the last minute. Hey, I am even writing this post to you on a Tuesday instead of when it’s due on Friday night!! It’s always important to celebrate small progress and care for yourself in these stressful times. So, with my final tip on how to de-stress yourselves in a time of being overwhelmed I give you my last piece of beginner’s advice. I have found that as a first-year college student in a time that it is so much harder to form connections with my peers that keeping ties with my family and friends at home is that much more important.
Even WebMD says that keeping strong ties with your family can help you stay even healthier. The Handbook of human communication says that being able to feel supported throughout your life is all about keeping up with communicating with your family. Often in times of turmoil we know that we cna always count on our families and keeping connected with them is a way you can all stay positive.
So in these last few weeks give your family a call or even send them a letter or a stuffed animal. I know that getting a stuffed animal goat from my mom over the week made me feel somehow connected to her. Someone loves you is a company that sends stuffed animals to people you love all over the world. You could also invite your family to Penn State for the weekend and visit the arboretum or Mount Nittany. Whatever you chose to do, if you are feeling extra stress during these times try to give your parents or a sibling a call to ease your jumbled brain. Stay sane staters have a great rest of the semester!!
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I can totally relate to having a heavy workload these next few weeks. I am really stressed and ready for school to be over. But I do call my sister about once a week and I agree with you that connecting with family can definitely help. Althoguh sometimes calling my parents can stress me out more when they start asking about school and classes. But regardless, I’m sure we will all get through this semester alright!
I have definitely been overwhelmed with work over the past few days and I am sure that feeling will continue heading into finals. However, I also agree that keeping in touch with family and friends can be an essential factor in supplying the motivation and energy needed to finish the school year on a positive note! I actually had my family come visit me recently to do some hiking and go out for dinner a few times. It was tremendously helpful to see them and get some fresh air at the same time before these final few weeks. I hope you have a great end of the year and enjoy your summer break!
I can totally relate to everything that you are saying. While I have made so many new friends during my first year in college, it was always important to me to keep in touch with my high school friends. To do this, I would make sure that I called my closest high school friends, Maya, Matan, and Zoe, at least once within a couple of weeks. I feel that phone calls, and especially FaceTime, allow me to have better conversations because I can hear a tone within voices rather than trying to infer a tone from a text. I also try to send them small texts here and there throughout the week. Whether it be a stupid TikTok or something I saw that reminded me of them, I send it. And when it comes to family, I am very close with mine. I try to call my grandparents at least once a week because I know that they love hearing updates about my life. I text my sister almost every day and with my mom, we text every day and even if I don’t get to call her on a certain day, I know that our texts go a long way.
This is amazing advice. At this point in my life, sometimes I feel temptations to exercise my freedom and not communicate much with my family while I am away. But, when I chose to talk to them or even get to visit with them, I am instantly provided with a sense of comfort. When times get tough, I often find myself reaching out to my family for advice and support and it is super helpful. I am lucky enough to have an amazing family that I love and I am so thankful I can relate to you on the comfort that your family can bring.
I can totally relate to this post! This past week has been super overwhelming for me too — especially since final assignment due dates are coming up for each class. Since starting my freshman year, I have found that I’ve been speaking to my family a lot more. I keep in touch with them and like to keep them updated. It definitely helps me feel better knowing that they are there and support me. Good luck with your final few weeks!
I have definitely been stressed this week and I know it is only going to get worse with finals coming up. But, I loved this blog post, it reminded me of what my values are and gave me a little motivation to keep grinding. I really miss my family and in only a couple of weeks, I will be able to get back to them.I actually call my family everyday while I’m on campus and it definitely makes my day better.