November 2017 – Blog | Lucky To Be Young (Lebanon)

6 easy ways to fight stress

Reading Time: 3 minutes

You have already chewed three pencils, bought two spinners and still feeling stressed out. So what are you going to do about it?

Stress is part of our human nature. It is how we manage it that makes us feel better, live happier and be more productive. Stress is not some external agent – like a virus – that is invading you. Rather, it is something that comes from within, and that is good news! If you are part of the problem, then you are definitely part of the solution

1. KNOW THY ENEMY

How could one sort out a problem if one doesn’t know exactly what the problem is? The first thing to do is to identify what is causing your stress. What is really making you anxious? Is it something or someone?

No, it’s not true that school is stressing you out. You have to be more specific.

The answer to this question will help you deal with the real problem, the source of your distress.

2. FACE IT. DEAL WITH IT.

Now that you know what the problem is, you have to take a big decision: I’m going to deal with it, once and for all. Avoiding the problem is not a strategy. It will increase your stress. If the problem is with your workload then you’ll have to come up with a better workflow. If the stress is caused by someone you work with – a teacher, a classmate – then you need to find the best time to have this serious discussion you’ve been avoiding for too long.

3. GOOD PLANNING IS THE BEST ANTI-STRESS PRESCRIPTION.

Cool people are those who are keeping a checklist or any sort of daily and weekly planning. When you write down what you have to do, it relieves your head and frees your mind. You know exactly what you have to do and when you have to do it. You can better manage your schedule and focus more on your priorities. Your to-do list is actually your personal assistant and a wonderful anti- stress solution.

4. TAKE A BREAK.

Obviously, you can take a break ONLY AFTER you have worked hard enough. Working too hard for too long is a cause of stress. Contemplating the long list of what you have to do and doing nothing about it is a sure way to increase your stress levels. The solution is somewhere in between: work – break – work – break. The more progress you make with your to-do list, the more you deserve a break.

Spending hours watching Game of Thrones when you know you have a quiz tomorrow is not a break. That’s a total breakdown.

5. DISCONNECT.

You don’t know it yet, but your phone is contributing to your stress. Or maybe you know it but you don’t want to admit it?

Keeping up with your various timelines, feeds, and updates is stressful.

You may have already noticed last time your battery went dead for an hour, it turned out you haven’t missed much. Right?

You’ve spent hours popping candies on your smartphone and now you want to pop some more. Does it feel better? Probably not.

How about you disconnect and keep away from your smartphone for an hour? How about you use this time to focus more on yourself?

6. WORKOUT.

Workout is the best stress relief. It won’t sort out the cause of the stress, but it will surely help you fight it.

Physical workout does amazing things to your brain and body. For your body has natural stimulating hormones waiting to be released. These “feel-good-substances” are triggered by physical workout. You don’t have to go to the gym if you don’t have time. Just put your earbuds on and start moving to your favorite music on Anghami, with Lucky to be Young you get 6-month unlimited access 😉

8 lucky tips* to prepare for your finals

Reading Time: 3 minutes

*add your own 2 tips to reach the top 10 list

It’s this time of the year when (again!) a little voice in your head starts buzzing “final(s) warning!” and suddenly all lights go red. Whether you’re preparing for mid-term exams, submitting a project or taking a test, your adrenaline levels are skyrocketing.

So here are few lucky tips to help you manage your work load, the best way possible.

1. DON’T PANIC!

If you’re preparing for the coming finals, this means you’ve passed previous finals! (Hurray!!)

A little stress is stimulating for your preps and learning skills.

More stress will simply reduce your memory, focus and performance.

girl between a pile of books studying with black school board behind her

2. CHALLENGE YOURSELF. SET YOUR OWN GOALS.

The key words here are ‘yourself’ and ‘own’!

While it’s good and healthy to compare and discuss how your friends are progressing in their preps, remember that what matters most is your own progress at your own pace.

And yes, some mates will likely brag about how they’re almost done and all the piece-of-cake-stuff. You don’t want to hear this, do you?

3. MOTIVATIONAL NOT EMOTIONAL.

Forget about your romantic, dreamy music playlist. Adele is definitely not your best choice for the preps! Time to switch to RnB playlists (Migos, Solo Lucci and Rihanna will help you push your adrenaline to high motivational levels).

And don’t listen to music WHILE you’re working.

Most studies show that music can be distracting when trying to focus on learning or solving a matter. Music will lift you up when taking short breaks.

4. WORKOUT. STUDY. WORKOUT.

Pure science, pure pleasure: there is enough evidence supporting that physical workouts increase brain activity and stimulate your motivation and focus. You can start with a 20-minute morning run or add as many short intense exercises during the day as you wish.

5. GET SOME SLEEP!

Forget about Hollywood movies and series. They tend to portray genius at work late at night. It might look romantic, even tempting, but it’s definitely not efficient and certainly not realistic. Unless you’re a Martian, most human beings work and perform best during daytime.

A nap is great. But a nap is a nap. Sleeping 3 straight hours in the afternoon with open books on your lap is DEFINITELY NOT a nap. Wake up people!

P.S.: Try sleeping on a pillow for a change, not on your keyboard.

people, education, session, exams and school concept - tired student girl or young woman with books sleeping in library

6. STUDYING WITH FRIENDS? YES BUT…

You can join your friends at your favorite café for a group work session, only if you have worked enough on your own. Group work is efficient only if you have specific questions to ask and/or results to compare. If you haven’t made some progress on your own, then these meetings are called “socializing’ or ‘chill-out moments’.

Cropped shot a group of friends studying together at a coffee shop

7. PLANNING A ‘REALISTIC’ TO-DO LIST.

The key concept here is ‘realistic’. Try to keep your checklist realistic and in any case close to your actual regular performance. Sure you can increase your output by 30% during your preps, but if you’ve never achieved 10 hours straight work on math, don’t pretend you’re going to do it this time. You’re going to be disappointed and frustrated.

Set a weekly timeline and a daily one. Even if you don’t stick to your timeline, you still have a reference to check your actual progress.

to-do list everything deadline schedule full

8. STAY FOCUSED. AVOID UNNECESSARY DRAMA.

Preps are very intense times. You need to keep focused. This is certainly not the right time to add family drama or to fight with your boyfriend/girlfriend over New Year’s lousy party and next summer plans. Remember this one big discussion you were avoiding to have with your parents? Well, avoid it for two more weeks. Stay focused.

What are your best tips #9 and #10?

Waiting for your own tips and recommendations for healthy and efficient preps.

Comment on this post. Let us know what you think.