How to deal with stress?

It's probably the one thing everyone can relate to - being totally stressed out.

But stress can cause a lot of harm to you; emotional and physical. 

So how can you prevent stress or more spefically how can you deal with stress?

As a law student I always felt stressed out. Even when I was on vacation I could not really enjoy it. 

Some years passed by and I started to not only feel stressed out - no- I became sick. I started to get allergies, I had migrane all the time and I gained a lot of weight. My friends and family got worried and said : "Chill out" "Get some sleep" etc... but the problem was, due to the fact that I always felt tired and sick, I was not really learning or working at all. Far from it! All the worries and the stress caused a huge black hole that totally consumed myself. 

First I was ashamed. My family and friends thought I was working all night, but everything I was able to do is lying in bed, sleeping, eating and watching TV.

Today I want to share with you what I learned from that horrible time and how I managed to deal with stress. 

First thing first Stop stressing yourself out

Most of the time the only thing that really stresses you out is yourself! 

A lot of people underestimate themselves, because they compare their achievements with others. What they do forget is, that we just see the positive sides. Most people do not brag with their failures, their stress or their angst. We tend to forget that while we are surfing on social media. This makes us feel week and unsuccessful. 

Ask yourself: How much time do I spend on social media? How do I  feel afterwards? 

A lot of studies show that spending to much time with social media can cause depressions and lower your self esteem. It may be hard, but quitting (or drastically lower your time on it) social media will provide you a lot more time for things to do (or relax) and will prevent you from comparing yourself to unrealistic versions of "friends" on Facebook.

Stop comparing yourself! 

Just. Stop. It. Everyone has it's on pace, so save your energy to become the best version of YOURSELF. Concentrate on your powers and abilities. Do your best and you will receive what you deserve. Don't envy others, it won't get you far.

On my first semester I met a lot of new people. Talking to them did not made me happy. Everyone was bragging about money, grades and how well they did on all the exams. I got angry with myself. Why am I so dumb. Why am I not able to learn 12 hours straight? 

It took me some time to realize that a hugh amount of them was simply liars. They came from college and everything they wanted to be was cool and a new, better version of themselves. So they lied about their grades and about their bank accounts becaues they wanted to be respected.  This does not mean that they are bad persons. No, this means they are as insecure as you are. 

Letting go, concentrating on myself was the best thing I could do. 

Last but not least:

Be honest!

... to yourself:

Nobody is perfect (and it's okay ) - so don't try to be. Know your weekness and (maybe) deal with it. If you made a mistake than accept it. Don't be to harsh but also not to nice to yourself. The voice in your head should be as honest and kind as you wish your best friend would be like. 

... to others:

Don't be afraid to show your weakness. 

As I realized that a lot of people did brag / lie about their grades I frist became one of those braggers. 

I told my friends from my hometown how great things were. How much fun I had etc.. Partying all night long? No problem for me? I did not want to show any kind of weakness. I wanted to be everything: A party girl, a good friend, a good student. My friends did not notice that I was totally stressed out. Tired. Sick. 

As I started to became sicker and sicker I lied even more. But my friends realized that something was wrong. They thought I lost interest in them, that I had other friends or simply do not care. So I lost contact which broked my heart.

So I started doing the opposite: I told the truth. I said: " Really, I think the test was hard. I really struggled to learn all the stuff." Some tried to uphold their image and looked down on me. But it wasn't that bad. Now I did not need to talk with those and I did not missed it at all. But others were relieved; they struggled as hard as I did and were happy to find someone to share their real feelings with.

I apologized to my friends. I told them the truth: How weak how tired I am. How much I need to learn to pass the tests 

They understood. And as my friends they do not care how good my grades are, but they did unterstand that I wanted to be good and that during exame time I could not spare as much time as I wanted. 

Of course I could tell you know that sport is a good stress relieve or that a better organiszation of your work shedule may help out, but that really depends on what kind of person you are.

Those three things:

(1)  Stop comparing yourself 

(2) Be Honest to yourself and other

(3) Reduce your social media time 

are something everyone can and needs to do. 

I hope you feel inspired and motivated. 

How do you deal with stress and what stresses you out? Tell me I would love to know :) 

x0x0