Managing Stress and Your Network

Many of us young people have events and schedules that leave us choosing which things we would rather do. We work jobs, are in school, and want to have friends and a life outside of what we do. There are nights when we sometimes wish we could rest and go to this party or attend this fundraiser or be a part of this conference. We are constantly pulled in many different directions. It can be hard to navigate the time that is in front of us. Asking ourselves if we are doing enough or if we have networked with enough people, but also wondering if this will ever end. 

In college we were supposed to learn how to manage our time, but sometimes that management skill slips through the cracks. We were able to slide by without really learning how to manage our time. Now that we are in the workforce we are learning that maybe the skills we should have learned in college are important after all. Maybe these late nights are causing us to regret our decisions.

If this is you – we have all been there. All of us struggle with managing and budgeting our time. Some people build out a schedule while others are like me and just hope everything gets done on time. It is a balance and a challenge for us all. 

Here are a few things that have helped me and maybe they will help you too:

1 – Listen when people ask you if you’re okay. Cause those closest to you should know if you’re okay or not. If they think that you’re struggling – you likely are and it is good to stop and listen. Take that advice, and be sure that you take a weekend or an evening just to stop and breathe. The people around you who know you will notice when things are out of hand. 

2 – Know this is a season, but still learn when to say no. I have had to say no to some things recently that were hard to do – but I knew it needed to be done. When you say no to things a burden truly does fall from your shoulders and you are able to have peace. 

3 – Handling Friends – I love people and have friends and connections all over the place. I try hard to keep up with them all and remember the important ones. It can be overwhelming. Social media is your friend in this regard; post your thoughts and what is going on in your life and stop feeling pressured to message everyone in your network. LinkedIn is a great platform for job updates and Facebook is a great platform for life updates. 

4 – Let People Reach Out to You For a Season – This may sound harsh, but sometimes you have to let go of people for a season that you have to constantly reach out to. Let them come to you That may mean you never hear from them, but it releases you to not feel obligated to talk to them.Your network is important, but your sanity with the amount of people you keep up with is more important. 

5 – Be Real With Yourself – if you have taken on too much – realize it and start culling things that you need to let go of. Is there a club that you are a part of but don’t really enjoy? It is okay to step down and leave. Doing too much can leave us unfulfilled and stressed in the areas that we need to be focused on. We are happier beings doing a few things well than doing many things only fairly.

6 – Family – I have high respect for the fact that my family lets me reach out to them for the most part. It gives me time to breathe and don’t feel like I have to constantly keep them updated with my life. Now, I love to keep them updated, but know that they can 100% survive without a daily or even every other day phone call. Family is important, but it’s okay to not constantly update them.Remember that family is here to stay, so don’t let your family guilt you into reaching out to them everyday. 

7 – Keep up Your Learning. Learning stops when we have a ton going on. We get into a rut and don’t want to leave it. Keep learning new things and let your brain work instead of mindlessly doing your work everyday without learning. 

8 – Exercise – if there is anything that keeps me sane in the hard times, it is walking it off, hiking it off, or just being outside!Many times just a walk around the block, or a quick run up and down a sidewalk or something that gives you a new perspective. Exercise helps you to breathe and enjoy fresh air in the middle of crazy days.

9 – Prioritize. If there is something that needs to get done – do it. Don’t wait until the last minute or annoy yourself with wondering if you should or not – JUST DO IT. 

10 – Ask for help. Recently, I called my dad and was like “how do I handle this” and just hearing him talk to me through it gave me peace. So sometimes it is worth just asking for advice or help from those around you. 

I hope this list gave you a few pointers. And that you are able to implement ways to make your life not as stressful and budget your time to work to be a happier person. Take some time to breathe and enjoy being young and having fun!