To do list:

1. Clean room

2. Paint nails

3. Finish homework

4. Find a job

5. Go to the gym

6. Make a list about things I need at Walmart

Life is easier if you know how to deal with stress. Beginning my junior year of high school stress became a large part of my life. I went from being essentially care free to someone who was completely focused on one goal. Getting into college was all I cared about. To prepare for applying I began taking AP classes, running cross country in addition to track and working. Time management became so important. My senior year was even harder because I went from two AP classes to five. I was still working at least 20 hours a week and had practice for two hours every day after school. At night I slept for 3 hours on average and my stomach was always in knots. Getting into college became an obsession and I would spend hours researching different colleges. I spent every free moment I had trying to figure out what I wanted to major in and every vacation included a college tour. Stress is not good for you and I could see it affecting me mentally and physically. I was tired, sad and distracted and it hurt me in school, sports, and my social life. Regaining control of my life was something I needed to do. Keeping an agenda had always helped me organize my school work and other things I had to get done so why not use a similar model to help me organize other parts of my life?

Dream Jobs

1. Documentary maker
2. Safari tour guide
3. Professional traveler
4. SNL cast member
5. Psychologist
6. Band member
7. Back up dancer

I write lists about everything. I write them all the time and all over. There are lists on my hands, in every notebook I own, on my computer, on my phone and all around my room. It became my most effective stress reliever. Over thinking is a common waste of time for me. I am terrible at focusing on the present because I can’t stop worrying about the future and I worry about every possible outcome no matter how unlikely. When I get to that point where the skin around my nails was all bit off, my leg couldn’t stop tapping and I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I grab a piece of paper and write a list. Even if it’s just writing a list of things I need to do or a list of places I want to visit it really doesn’t matter. It makes me feel organized and in control of the situation. Having a list is like capturing all the thoughts fluttering around in my brain.

Things to think about

1. What do I want to be when I grow up?
2. Where do I want to study abroad?
3. What clubs do I want to join?
4. What do I want to wear tomorrow night?
5. What do I need to buy?
6. What books do I need to read?
7. What movies do I need to watch?
8. Do I need new friends?
9. Should I start looking for an apartment?
10. Do I really have time to get a job?
11. How can I get rich quick?

I believe lists really help me understand what’s going on in my brain because I am a visual learner. For me to truly understand things I need to see them written out for me in words. I need to be able to read them on my own. When we are forced to read out loud in class and another student reads a section of a book I can’t comprehend any of it unless I reread it on my own. I can’t take notes using a laptop because I understand things better if I see them on a sheet of paper instead of a computer screen. Just like writing things out helps me in school writing lists helps me in my personal life.

Sometimes making a list is not enough to make me feel better about things and sometimes I don’t complete everything on my lists (like my summer bucket list of 2013 that I only crossed 5 things off of). Whether or not making lists actually does anything to keep me more organized I realize that it’s not just completing things on my lists that relieves stress but the act of writing them. I am thankful that I have found such a simple way to make me feel more confident, prepared and in control of my life.