Below is a wonderful perspective on taking care of yourself from Dr. Sheri Shiflett, a former CPEL student who has survived graduate school, post-doc, and now a job with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The ways I find effective for managing stress are
helpful no matter what role I have found and/or find myself in: student,
graduate student, postdoc, full-time 9-5er, etc. Learning how to take care of
yourself is important throughout your life, especially as an adult where you
have to be more self-reliant and self-aware in order to effectively manage and
solve personal and interpersonal conflicts.
One of the first things I do when I feel overwhelmed
is ask myself what *really* needs to get done and by what date. For items that
I wanted to accomplish, but don’t necessarily have to be completed immediately,
I cut those out and re-prioritize for the moment and/or immediate future.
I also find it effective to set boundaries on my time
for work and time for play. You have to build in time for yourself or you will
burn out eventually! Figure out what you can let go of and then take an
afternoon or a day for yourself to do something that you enjoy which is not
“work” in the traditional sense. Make time during the week for your hobbies and
time with loved ones. Accomplishing your graduate school and career goals is
important, but so is maintaining your sense of self, individuality, personal
interests, and relationships.
Learn how to say “no.” People will always ask you to
become involved in a plethora of activities and opportunities. You should be
strategic and selective in the ones you choose because you only have a limited
amount of time and energy. Overcommitting because you feel like you don’t want
to let people down is a surefire way to also feel overwhelmed and burnt-out.
This doesn’t mean to say no to everything. You should agree to some additional
tasks and push your boundaries, but learn how to tell the difference between a
little extra push for yourself, which can lead to inspiration, motivation, and
networking vs. overcommitting to more than you can handle, which will deflate
your confidence and make it more challenging to re-gain and bounce back.
The usual rules apply: limit excesses (e.g., alcohol,
partying, staying up late, over-eating), get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, and
exercise. I have started doing all of these things and it has made a huge
difference in how healthy and strong I feel! When I don’t get enough sleep, not
only am I generally fatigued, but normal tasks feels so much more difficult to accomplish,
and I am also more emotional! It’s easy to distort reality. Make time for
yourself to work-out a handful of times a week. You’d be surprised at how much
better you can feel from a 20-30 minute walk with a friend around campus or the
surrounding are if you don’t have the time or inclination for something more
strenuous.
Be gentle with yourself and forgiving when things
don’t go your way. Bumps in the road happen and things don’t always go as
planned. Strive to do your best work, but don’t be so hard on yourself when the
experiment doesn’t go as planned or the boat trip to the island gets cancelled
due to high winds, or you forgot about that one last minute assignment. You’re
not a superhuman and that’s ok.
Take mini-breaks for yourself. If you’ve been glued to
your desk for hours, get up and stretch, take a walk, take 5-10 minutes to
meditate and clear your mind.
Take advantage of the counseling options offered to
students. My last year of graduate school, I scheduled regular sessions with
one of the on-campus counselors (for free!) and she really helped me put my
situation and future goals into perspective. She also recommended great
relaxation techniques and reading material. It’s also nice to just have a space
to vent confidentially and not feel judged.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, stay positive
and express gratitude often! My biology teacher in high school had a great one
liner that I will never forget, especially in times of hardship and challenge,
“This too shall pass!” [This was also a favorite sentiment of Abraham Lincoln’s.]
Time will never stop moving forward and life will continually throw obstacles
your way: you’re going to get through it one way or another. There will be many
tests ahead of you and it’s up to you whether or not you choose a positive
spirit in overcoming the obstacles you are faced with or a negative attitude.
Studies have shown time and time again that those with positive attitudes,
regardless of what life throws their way, tend to be happier and healthier
individuals. Taking a moment to express gratitude towards someone, whether it’s
a friend, family member, mentor, or even stranger, will help you to reframe the
challenges in your life and see that people love you and care about you whether
or not all your p-values are < 0.05 or you ace every test. This last step of
striving for positivity is key to becoming a more resilient individual and
recognizing that it’s very easy to focus on the negative. The negative will
keep finding you, but it’s up to you to hunt for and celebrate the positive
aspects of your life and any situation you find yourself in. I recommending
looking up more information about “resilience” and becoming a resilient
individual. The idea is not to eliminate stress or pretend that it doesn’t
exist, but to develop a mental outlook to tackle problems head on, overcome
adversity, move forward with life and ultimately flourish.
