By the number of people moving in the Peirson building and the Hive, it seems like most of us are facing the dreaded reality: assignments are near! And as a third year, you might think I’m used to it. And then why is my heart pounding, my hands sweating and my breath quickening only when I think about submitting a piece of work? Probably because stress is universal and it never goes away, no matter how hard you try. But don’t worry about it, there seems to be some good news out there as well!
Surfing the web as you do, I found this awesome Ted Talk where a well-known psychologist puts a positive spin on stress.
If you don’t have 15 minutes to procrastinate (and watch a very interesting presentation 😉 ), then here’s the gist of it: medicine has been wrong! Stress is not bad for you unless you think it is. Your arteries don’t clog just because you’re stressed, but it has more to do with the fact that you BELIEVE that pressure is going to hurt you.
You know when you go to an interview or a presentation and you’re so excited about the topic that your mouth feels dry and you think you won’t be able to say a word? And then you start saying stuff, remembering what made you so excited about the job and, even if you’re sweating a lot, you begin feeling full of joy. That’s because pressure can turn you into your best self!
And so it turns out *miraculously* that it’s a good thing that we’re feeling stressed. After all, you wouldn’t be worried about something you don’t care about. And your body is feeling it too, it’s fueling you with energy, it’s making you go faster and is putting you in action mode! So, next time I’m on my last stretch, I’ll let that feeling take over for one second and take the time to remind myself what makes me care so much about what I’m doing 🙂
Worcester Student Life 