Along with a lot of other people around me, I have been feeling a ton of pressure pushing on me from many different directions these days.
Naturally, since this is often how this time of year works in the life of a student, I am trying to fight to complete many different assignments that are due before the Christmas break...however, I find myself procrastinating because I don't know where to begin (reading, presentation, presentation, essay, essay, reading, reading, paper proposal, essay, essay, presentation, essay, or research assignment...)! I'm really starting to feel my overloaded term right about now.
In my life as a dance (and "musical theatre combo class"...and Zumba... and "Pop Stars") teacher, I am expected to have all of lesson plans sorted out (which is totally natural), and I'm expected to start all the routines and Christmas songs for the students to perform in a few weeks/months. So, I have to prepare for all of these classes between my own classes. That's okay. I can handle that....I think!
Somewhere in there, I attempt to remind my friends that I really don't hate them, I'm just a hermit!
And, on the side, I am waiting on pins and needles to hear back from an audition for a musical that I so bravely slugged through yesterday. (It really wasn't that bad...I'm just a wreck when it comes to singing in front of people sometimes.)
So, as you may be able to believe, my to-do list is quite a bit longer than the one above. The only reason why I'm writing this post is because it has been on my actual to-do list for weeks! But, after I saw the much lovelier to-do list on Facebook this morning (Thanks for posting, Lisa), I felt myself feeling a little bit more calm about the pressures that I'm currently facing.
Count my blessings:
Even though I am quite cranky these days (including right now), I really am thankful for my wonderfully caring boyfriend, my fabulous friends, and my lovely family. I am thankful that I have all the opportunities that I have, and that I live in an all-around safe city, in a safe province, in a safe country. I really do have a lot to be thankful for.
Practice kindness:
I really do try to live by the phrase, "treat others the way you would like to be treated". I try to do at least one kind thing for someone each day, if I can. Even something as small as stopping my car to let a pedestrian cross the street, letting a car into the lane ahead of me, holding the door open for someone, picking up someone's pen when they drop it...I don't know! Doing those sorts of things makes me feel like a good human being...and that's a good feeling.
Let go of what I can't control:
This one is probably one of the hardest ones for me, and I don't know why. I spend a lot of time wishing that I could control certain things that either no one can control, or that someone else in charge of. I probably spend a lot of time reminding myself that I can't control whatever I am worried about. All I can do is be the best person I can be, the best student, the best teacher, the best girlfriend, the best friend, the best colleague, the best daughter, etc. Sometimes, I (and I'm sure a lot of others do too) lose sight of this, whether I am worried about what I can't control, or whether I am not doing well at what I can control. Either way, this is something I can and will work on more and more.
Listen to my heart:
Sometimes, we are all driven by what we think other people want us to do, or what other people think we should do. If you listen to your heart (your gut, your feelings...whatever), you will feel so much better with what you decide to do. Even if it's something minor.
Be productive, yet calm:
I find that I can't be truly productive if I'm not calm. So, these things go hand in hand for me!
Just breathe:
I think we all have to take more of these moments in a day, just to relax for a few seconds and take that four second inhale, four second exhale that I mentioned in one of my previous blogs (I think...). My boyfriend likes to make fun of me a bit when I get a little riled up about something small, saying "let me just look outside to see if the world ended....nope" (jerk :P). But, seriously, that is what we need. We need to realize that what we're stressing over really isn't as big as we think it is. Breathe, then let it go.
You should do what I just did! Go through this "to-do list" and remind yourself of these steps. It might make you feel just a little bit lighter!
