By Rebecca Eliason, M.S.
This week’s blog I write in procrastination of packing and preparing for an early morning flight. I’ve come to find it quite ironic how the preparation before a trip is so stressful. After all, isn’t the point of many trips to alleviate stress? By the time I’m done booking the trip, price shopping, running errands, doing laundry, organizing food, packing and planning some type of itinerary, not to mention getting my work done in advance so I can actually take off the intended days, I am so tired that I need a vacation much more than when I booked! On top of it, if you’re traveling with a child just multiply everything times 10. Did you ever find yourself asking, “how in the world can I get everything done?” I find myself in that place often, be it before a trip, before exams or before something is due at work. At times, I am so discouraged from all the work ahead that I do not want to start.
While I think many people struggle to manage their anxiety and stress before major events and deadlines, I have also come across those people who seem to be minimally affected by how hectic life gets. I ask, what differentiates the people who get anxious and stressed out before events and deadlines from the people who do not? Perhaps it’s a need for everything to be done perfectly and the desire to control many of the uncontrollable variables that lie ahead. Perhaps it’s the anxiety that comes from avoiding the things you think you have to face. For me, as I pack for my trip, I know I cannot possibly remember everything I need and I think I have to remember everything (perfectionism) and think it would be awful to forget something. What if the item I forgot was really important?
When you find yourself overwhelmed with the stressors of life, remind yourself that if you forget something or don’t plan perfectly, it’s not the end of the world. I’ll do my best to remember that if I do forget a toothbrush or socks- I can probably pick it up when I get there.
Practically, the way I personally like to handle the overwhelming amount I have to do is by making “to do” lists. Rather than feeling anxious about all of the things I have to do and thinking I can’t manage to do everything, I write down all of the things I have to accomplish and take them down one by one. I might not be able to pack everything or finish all of my work tonight but I can certainly manage to throw a skirt and a pair of shoes in a suitcase and write the introductory paragraph for an upcoming presentation.