Sick of Setbacks

Now that Influenza season has arrived along with the colorful Autumn leafs, the last thing people want is a nasty virus. Nevertheless, with the cold and flu season upon us, don't be surprised to find yourself bed ridden for a few days this semester. I know because I was put out of commission for about 4-5 days a couple of weeks ago with flu like symptoms within days of getting my flu shot. Take it from me, getting sick is a horrible experience. First, you're spend days feeling miserable and unable to do anything but hope that you get better soon. Then to make matters worse, once you do get better you find yourself buried in a mountain of make-up school work. My first instinct was to panic; however, I then realized that by using both time and stress management skills I could make what seemed like an impossible task more manageable.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, the first trick is to NOT over react once you realize that you have a ton of work in your "To Do" box. Stressing about it will only stall your efforts to get the work done. My suggestion is to write down all of your homework assignments. Next, prioritize each by writing numbers one, two, three, etc. beside each according to order of important. This could be based on the date when due or the amount of work required to complete the task (i.e. a research paper is more important than completing chapter questions). Then try to map out a schedule for getting the work done. For example, set goals such as on Saturday and Sunday I will work on my research paper, then on Monday complete math and history questions, etc. The hard part will be sticking to the schedule and focusing on one task at a time. I know from my own experience that I was better able to complete my make-up assignments by focusing on one at a time. Because I initially felt overwhelmed, I found myself taking a shotgun approach to my make-up work. I'd start work on one assignment, then shift to another, and then another, without ever completing any of them. This approach did not work because I was having to shift my mental gears too often. I finally realized that focusing on one task at a time until it was completed was a better use of my time. Also, being able to mark off an assignment from my "To Do" list made be feel like I was making progress.

Hopefully, you will be one of the lucky few who don't get sick this semester, but if it happens to you and you get behind on your school work, just take a deep breath and remember that stressing out will only slow you down. Instead, prioritize your assignments and make a plan for getting the work done one assignment at a time. Don't let getting sick set you back.