Seesaw is the word, I think, to describe my stress level fluctuation. It's funny to me how ubiquitous the term stressed has become when describing how one is feeling. In engineering terms, stress is a measure of how much force is acting on an object. Clearly, the meaning is quite different when applied to a human. But everyone seems to know what I'm talking about when I say I'm stressed. Strain, by the way, is the deformation which occurs to objects under stress. I think I've been feeling the strain, too!
Anyway, exams are nearly upon my fellow students and myself. I find myself getting stressed to the point where I can't think any more. I have done a little training in maintaining one's awareness in high stress situations (providing security to visiting dignitaries), and I recognise that cognitive impairment is a normal result of stress. In fact, there is an interesting progression in impairments as the level of stress one is under increases. I can't remember the details too well, but other things that are affected by rising adrenaline are one's fine motor skills (relatively quickly) and at some point gross motor skills (if these decline, you're really in trouble). In other words, if you think someone's about to attack you when returning home late at night, you might struggle to insert your doorkey into the lock. You'll probably retain the ability to turn around and knock them flying (before realising it's your inebriated flatmate).
Anyway, the level of stress that exam revision gives me is a more chronic one, rather than an acute attack. I wake up in the morning and think "Oh, God, I have to get myself together for my exams'" and the feeling often stays with me all day. Certain things help: ironically not the things one would expect. Although actually doing some revision is of course important, I've found it equally important to get out of the house periodically: to go shopping, to visit friends, or just to have a walk. Exercise has been good: my friend has been teaching me a bit of yoga. The pain took my mind right off the exams!
I was also lucky enough to spend a few days in Menorca last week. And I found the best cure for stress. Swimming in the icy sea with hundreds of fish all around me.
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2 comments:
taking on board what you say about 'leaving the house', that's something I haven't done much and clearly there is no correlation between productivity and the amount one spends in the house so I must and I will tomorrow
good luck with the revision man
i highly recommend exercise as a tool against stress. for *insert desired duration of workout* you'll be concentrating on guzzling water and trying not to fall down as a) your laces conspire to undo themselves, and/or b) your legs turn to jelly.
some strange people find it oddly reasuring to pay someone to scream at them while they do all this. not sure if you're into that, but if so, i'd gladly do it for free :) what are friends for, eh?
good luck with the rev. you too Franz.
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