Coping with the stress and anxiety of a spring semester senior.

My time at UMass Amherst is quickly coming to an end. These last few months have been some of the more stressful months of my whole life. Planning for the future has been difficult and big decisions have had to be made. I won’t lie, I have broken down in frustration and cried over countless roadblocks that seemed to find their way in front of me. But, I pushed through and the bright side is beginning to show. 

When I entered senior year, I was still unsure of what I would do with my undergraduate degree. Would I get a job easily? Would I stay near home or would I move? Would I continue my education? Where and what would I pursue? These daunting questions weigh heavy on a senior. So many loose ends needed tying up. Where would I start? How would I handle these pressing decisions? 

Finding ways to cope with the endless work and open endings was important. I started by making sure I worked out at least an hour a day. I attended a lot of spin classes offered at the rec center. These classes were perfect for me because I was able to shut off from the rest of the world. My phone wasn’t with me and I could peddle out any pent-up tension I was feeling. This helped. I felt better after each class and the day seemed to be easier to get through. This also gave me a break from any mind-numbing schoolwork and researching I still had to do. 

The next tactic I developed was to, believe it or not, make TikToks. I make mini daily vlogs and it really helps me to stay on track and find the mundane everyday tasks a lot more enjoyable. By “romanticizing” my process, it gets more fun and “aesthetically” pleasing. This made the work I need to do and the roadblocks I face easier to handle because I get to look forward to looking at all I accomplished in the short and cute clips I compile throughout the day. It may seem silly, but it has worked for me so far.

Of course, some days my anxiety and stress level is worse than others. On those days, I do my best to listen to my body. When I have horribly stressful times and days in which the anxiety in my body seems to eat away at me, I take a break altogether from everything. I rest. This often looks like watching a movie and tuning in with my full attention to the story in front of me. This allows my mind to wander elsewhere and worry less about what tasks may be drowning me. By getting good at listening to what my body needs and treating myself with kindness and care, I have learned how to cope better in my own way. 

Taking breaks, alleviating tensions through working out, finding activities that bring me joy and happiness have all been ways I have been able to make my world a little less stressful and more manageable in a time where the future seems so scary. By doing this, I have personally witnessed my plans going forward unfold in positive ways and more opportunities come about. The light is shining in and these coping strategies have really helped. 

I hope this helps anyone who may feel as though they aren’t ever doing enough, or are stressed with the tasks ahead. I promise it will all be okay and I cannot express enough that doing what you need to do for your mental health is so important and should be a priority. It’s all about finding the silver linings every day.

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• coping
• self care
• senior year
• stress