Hello everyone!
This week has been fairly uneventful which isn’t a bad thing. It’s been filled with lots of homework. For the past few weeks it has been sunny in Portland which has been great. It’s quite chilly and brisk but the sun is out and by the end of the day it’s a little warmer which is really nice.
The stress is definitely here right now. With only 6 weeks of classes left it feels like there is so much to get done still. Second midterms and papers are due soon and finding the balance has been harder than ever. I’ve noticed that I’ve been feeling more stressed and I’m only taking 3 courses this semester. It’s been difficult to justify spending time doing other things like exercising or hanging out with friends when I could be getting more work done and getting ahead of the workload for the following weeks.
This week I decided I’ve had enough of the stress. I want to do a better job at managing everything and making time for myself. I started running again this week which has helped get me outside more and moving. My friend and I are signing up for a half marathon in the spring as a goal to train and work towards. I’ve missed a lot of climbing team because I’ve been putting school work ahead of everything but this coming week I am excited to go climb with the team. Yesterday I was able to get a large portion of a first draft of an essay written out so now I am feeling significantly less stressed and the next few weeks seem more manageable without an unwritten essay hanging overhead. The reality is that the workload and the stress doesn’t end until the semester is over. There’s always one more thing you could be working on: another essay, another chapter, more notes to take. Since the workload doesn’t stop on its own, you have to set your own cut off time each day or week. I always worry that I won’t get everything done but time and time again I always finish things early because I hold myself to a tight, but stressful, schedule.
Something that makes me really happy and less stressed is the daily picture of my dog that my family sends me each day. I have an almost two-year-old mini golden doodle named Satski and SHE IS THE CUTEST. I love her very much and I can’t wait to go home over Thanksgiving break to see her.
Have a wonderful day,
Sarah