Coping Skills

Develop coping strategies for the demands of student life

Manage your time instead of time managing you.
=Determine first how much time you have and how you spend it now.
=Which activities support your educational goals and which do not?
=Which activities are the most and the least important to you?
=Do you spend more time engaging in social or work activities than in school activities?
=Are you spending sufficient time engaging in activities that support your educational goals?

Manage your time wisely.
=Plan your time.
=Buy and use a day planner, PDA or scheduler.
=Avoid “time bandits.” These are people who consume, waste and eat up your time.
=Discuss your commitments to school and success with family, friends, and children.
=Don’t procrastinate. It is always easy to do yet difficult to recover from.
=Delegate work and chores where you can to family and friends.
=Plan social time. Curb spontaneity and value your personal time by planning it.
=Plan alone time. This can even be a five minute walk around the block once a day.
=Make lists and use them.
=When possible schedule time for phone calls.
=Screen your calls. Set a time limit for being on the phone and let the person know how much time you have available.
=Use e-mail and fax instead of the telephone as it consumes less time.
=Schedule priorities first.
=Find simple ways of making your family and friends feel special other than time. (A flower, a hug, a written note, a quotation, a poem, or a balloon can do wonders.)

Reduce or learn to cope with stress.
=Identify the things that increase your stress and write down strategies for addressing it.
=When you complete a task, reward yourself!
=Take frequent but scheduled breaks from work, studying.
=Exercise regularly.
=Manage your time effectively.
=Eat and sleep regularly.
=Be positive about yourself.
=Try to identify and address time wasters in your life like TV.
=Use the student clinic to receive stress reducing sessions.
=Get professional sessions from instructors and graduates.

Seek personal and professional help from a variety of resources.
=Professionals in the field.
=Instructors.
=Successful graduates.
=Prospective employers.
=Chamber of Commerce
=SCORE (Retired Executives)
=Education Directors, Department heads, Senior Education Director.
=Job Counselors.
=Professional life coach.
=Campus chaplain, minister, or rabbi.
=Friends.
=Family.

Connect with others who will support your educational goals.
=Students driven to success.
=Family members or partners who want you to succeed.
=You (in a journal or during structured meditation).
=Friends who are successful in their chosen life.
=Pastor.
=Professional life coach.

The corollary to this is, identify and isolate people who are negative about or don’t support your educational goals.

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