Edgy about the upcoming year
Most of us are happier being busy and just getting things done. When I dilly-daddled about emptying the dishwasher, my mother used to say: “It’s worse thinking about it, you know!” And it’s true: it is worse thinking about it. And the same goes for the upcoming year.
The end of the summer is fast approaching (sorry!) and you and I will have to face September. Whatever your situation - whether student or not - September always feels different than any other month: the pace of life is faster, your to-do list gets longer and deadlines get shorter. There is also the experience of unchartered waters - perhaps you are meeting new people, starting a new course, or beginning a new project. No wonder you feel a little edgy.
So what’s the remedy? My limited experience and possibly having read a few some good articles of sound advice, I have compiled some things here that may help:
Portion out your Time
There is nothing worse than kicking the can down the road when you have something looming that needs to be done. Granted you might not need to do anything right now for September, but all the same, if this edginess is getting on your nerves dedicate some time to addressing what is bothering you.
Portion out a part of the day to chip away at it. It could be just one hour where you advance a couple of pendings, so you won’t have to do them in September. And then when you have done that, forget about it. Be happy to enjoy your rest and time spent with family and friends.
JOURNALING
Writing down what is concerning you really helps to get things out in the open. Keeping everything in your head will only cause more stress. It’s good to put pen to paper: what’s bothering me, what do I need to do, etc. You can do it as mind-map, list form or prose. Whatever works best for you. But having your concerns on paper helps hugely to break it down and address things bit by bit.
Worrying
It’s easy to say “don’t worry” but it’s next to impossible to stop worrying.
Worry is an emotion and emotions are irrational. You can’t reason with them. To address any emotion, it doesn’t help to simply try to stop it. You need to distract the little mite. So look for things that will help you think outside of yourself: sport, going out with friends, redecorating your room or whatever interests you.
And September will come and you know what, it won’t be as bad as you thought it would be. You’ll be able to address each thing as it arises and the worrying you experienced in August will not have contributed much to solving things. So don’t worry! All will be well!