This semester has been off to a rough start for me. I went to New York over Labor Day weekend (which you can read about here), which was a super fun trip, but left me feeling like I was already one step behind where I should be this semester. I’m writing this blog, taking two classes, having board and committee meetings for organizations that I’m part of, and recently and was accepted to the Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s Health Activist Fellowship (more on this in another post). These are all things that I’m really excited about, but they also all take time!

I knew I needed to get things back on track, so I’ve spent time this week trying to get my life in order. I had been trying to use my phone’s calendar as my only calendar, but I realized that I’m still someone who needs to see things written out, especially for assignment due dates and exams. So I bought a new planner, and spent some time filling that in with everything I have coming up. Even just seeing everything laid out and written down helped me to feel more in control! I also took Sunday to work on school work, get ahead on blog post writing, and other personal errands and things on my to do list.

When I was little, I loved Shel Silverstein’s poetry books. One of my favorite poems was Melinda Mae, about a small girl who ate a whole whale, bite by bite, even though people said she’d never finish. The poem is definitely about determination, and proving people wrong, but I like to think about how she accomplished her goal, one little bite at a time.

It’s really easy to get stressed about everything going on in life, and then feel overwhelmed, and like you don’t know where to start! I have a stress breakout on my forehead right now for this exact reason. But I always find that when I take a step back, take a deep breath, and start slowly – in this case, just by writing things down in my planner – things start to feel so much more manageable.

What are your tips for dealing with stress in life? Let me know in the comments below!