Well, sometimes,
life just happens. And when it does, there are two realistic options: sit back
and do nothing, or get moving and do something. Me…I’m the “do something” kind
of woman. It is hard for me to not have a back-up plan lined up (or several)
when the road of life starts getting bumpy.
Due to a
number of factors, I will not be able to participate in on-campus courses
offered by the college. After nearly two weeks of juggling huge decisions, I
decided that I would take a Leave of Absence from the college to pursue a
full-time job. I filled out the application and had one of three meetings done.
Then, in a stroke of enlightened genius, I had a great idea: I wanted to make
my whole semester Independent Studies courses so that I could still work
full-time.
After confirming this with my supervisors, I knew that it was possible! All I had to do was get my advisor on board. When I did set up an appointment with my awesome advisor (Grace Burford), she was excited and expressed how confident she was in my capabilities to be self-directed and motivated. But, she did say I needed to talk to the Dean first…and talk with him I did. Our Dean is super understanding, and after explaining my situation and needs to him, he became very supportive.
Also, after
speaking with another amazing woman (Gret Antilla), we figured that I could
combine my previously enrolled in education courses (Authentic Assessment and
Curriculum Design) into a hybrid course that approaches both of these
individual courses through an Expeditionary Learning perspective. This works
for me and my graduation requirements because I am not enrolled in the Teacher’s
Certification program in Education. We confirmed our idea with the Director of
Education and we got the green light!
As you can
imagine, all that has led to and has become this is fairly stressful…for
anyone! This situation has forced me to be extremely attentive to my time
management and stress management skills and practice. So, this is kind of what
this article is about; the pressures of time and stress on creating Independent
Studies (or college life in general).Creating an Independent Study is just like creating your own course; you need to have everything in order! With the help of your advisor, you work together to create a course description, a list of assignments (including an optional tentative schedule), a method of evaluation, you determine whether the course will be Lower- or Upper-Division, you decide whether or not to make it Writing Emphasis, and you supply a tentative bibliography. This will go through at least one more draft, so make sure to leave time for that! Thankfully, I have already created an IS (Independent Study) for this Fall 2012 semester, and I know my way around the contract. Still, I have about a week to get an IS done for my Winter 2013 block, and then maybe two weeks to get my hybrid IS done before the Spring 2013 semester starts. And, this is all going on while this semester is coming to a close and I’m trying to complete portfolios for other classes.
To deal with
the strict time constraints I have to work with, I have a planner.
Recently, I
have figured out that technology is also wonderful for organizing time. I
frequently put alerts onto my iPhone to remind me of things, and cross-check my
information with calendars on Facebook and websites.
Time
management at college depends on communication. I learned very quickly (early
in life), that communication is key. Part of time management revolves around
the time other people have organized for themselves. If you have a question,
idea, or want to work something out quickly, check with the professor or
administrators! Let them know what’s going on early so that you both can
quickly schedule a time to meet with each other and go over a plan of action.
This ends up being a fairly off-putting experience for the both of you because
it puts you both through extra (and definitely unnecessary!) stress.
This brings
me to my next topic: stress management.
Stress
happens. Actually, stress is a reaction to the stuff happening around us; we
can choose to be stressed or not. But, if you’re like me (broke, independent
from parents, a student, working two jobs, etc.) succumbing to stress and
anxiety is my initial reaction. No it is
not ideal, but that’s the way it happens (and, believe me, I have been working
hard to change that).
Everyone
deals with their stress differently. My sister ignores it…don’t do that, it’s
not healthy. My mom goes out with girlfriends or coworkers. My little brother
plays outside. My dad exercises. I, primarily, don’t even know how to deal with
stress when I first allow it to be my reaction. I get very overwhelmed and
usually end up having to physically exhaust myself out of it (swimming,
running, or simply crying it all out), before I can rationally analyze my
situation.
But, as I
said, I have been getting better at this. Recently, I’ve started to incorporate yoga and meditation. When something is really bothering me and I don’t trust myself to speak to someone about it just yet, I write in my journal. I call my mom and family a lot…that helps exponentially. Finally, I have a small (but wonderful) family here that helps me to decompress and relieve stress. My boyfriend is amazing. He’s supportive and listens well, and he gives great advice. He’s also very helpful at assisting me in creating a plan of action. His daughter is fourteen, and we get along well. When either or both of us are stressed, we cook a great meal together and then sit down to watch and episode or two of Glee (and usually belt the songs out with the cast). Sometimes, we sit down and create crafts together (the last couple of days we made Holidays cards). In our house, we also have a designated “Wellness Room” which is only used for reading, studying, mediation, art and yoga. Then, I have my dog, Orion.
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This little (he’s actually about 50 pounds) dog is a great stress reliever. He’s always down to cuddle and loves to be petted. Taking him for walks helps reduce my stress and gets him to reduce his energy.
Other ways in which I “solo cope” are by reading, painting, or drawing. Baking and cooking are also wonderfully stress-relieving for me because I associate them with family, warm and fuzzy feelings, community, and good times. And, when I just don’t want to do anything constructive to relieve my stress, I’ll buy ice cream and watch a hilarious movie (Adam Sandler and Will Farrell are my go-to actors).
As I said,
there are many ways to reduce stress…you just need to find what works for you.
A final
piece; it always helps to have a mantra. I have a few:1) My mom tells me often to “Be strong”. In the face of adversity, I whisper this to myself often.
2) “Trust and let go.” This one is written on things I frequently look at (my phone and planner, for instance).
3) Finally, there’s another one from my mom “Everything happens for a reason.” Yes, yes it does. And it ALWAYS turns out better than it was when it all began.
So…take
heart in knowing that you are not alone!
Also, please
take the measures (as a current or future student) to manage your time wisely
and make the time to reduce any stress or anxiety you feel.
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