StudentZona - Caring For A Better Student Life And Learning

Take a break, lie down and go wherever you wish with a few visualization exercises. It is the weekend and no doubt you have reading to do and essays to write but take some time out for yourself. Relax a little so you are fresh for the coming week. Just half an hour is enough time for some visualization practice.

You may have heard of visualization as a technique for creating what you want in your life by visualizing it strongly. This is not what I mean here. I mean enjoying the ability to imagine in a positive way that helps you to relax. There is also a method developed by C. G. Jung called active imagination which is a way of experiencing a dream state while awake. This means that while the images you are seeing come from within you, nevertheless you are not consciously directing them but rather following them and perhaps asking questions and listening. It is a powerful psychoanalytical method to access the personal and the collective archetypes that populate our imaginations. This may happen to some extent spontaneously while you are lying with your eyes closed and imagining a restful scene but it is best done under the guidance of a Jungian therapist. (more…)

Especially for exams you want to be relaxed and grounded. There is a good combination of essential oils that will help you. You can dab the mixture on the inside of your wrists, across the pulse points, before going into the exam room. So what is this secret scent of success? I will begin by telling you how I discovered it in the run-up to my finals and then go on to share the recipe with you and the qualities of the ingredients.

Like the majority of students I was very nervous before beginning my Finals exams. I have always had an interest in aromatherapy and I kept a small supply of essential oils in the house. Essential oil of Lavender is well known for being very relaxing and I would dab a few drops on each wrist while revising to relieve the tension a little. A lot of my revision I did late at night. I like the quiet but that combined with the effects of essential oil of Lavender can produce an effect beyond simply calming the nerves. Lavender is also used to encourage sleep and that was certainly not my purpose. A further ingredient was necessary.
(more…)

Dealing with stress is one of the most indispensable skills of modern life. The pace of life these days — instant communication via the Internet and phone, and the speed people can get around — is unprecedented, and it is not surprising that many people find it hard to keep up without burning out.

Here are my top techniques for dealing with stress:

1. Don’t get stressed in the first place! This is the most effective way of dealing with stress; the problem is it is easy to say and often hard to do.
2. Take five minutes out of your busy day in the morning and afternoon to get away from your desk, and to switch your mind off.
3. Take exercise. Vigorous exercise like running or a competitive game of squash is the most effective way of blowing away some cobwebs, and handling stress. Even a twenty-minute walk with the dogs will help you relax, and forget about your worries.

(more…)

Most of us feel depressed or “down” at sometime in our lives but, fortunately, it`s usually short lived. Some people, however, are unable to shake off their feeling of depression and are diagnosed as “Clinically Depressed”. Many types of pills and drugs are prescribed but they often lead to addiction in addition to depression, thus creating a never ending downward spiral. Thousands, and possibly millions, of patients are convinced they`ll never recover which only adds to their sense of low-self esteem. Today, people suffering from depression seek alternative remedies such as acupuncture and various therapies. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most popular as it encourages people to view their problems from a different perspective. It is one of the most successful therapies but not always available on a continuos basis which is essential if the patient is to benefit. People who struggle financially can find this particular therapy difficult to obtain on an ongoing basis as their appointments may be weeks apart. Wealthier people, of course, don`t encounter such problems as they have sufficient money for private treatment. Everybody would agree this is unjust but, regrettably, life is frequently unfair.

There are other methods of coping, such as self-help groups which some people find incredibly supportive. Friends and relatives can also provide a “shoulder to cry on” but very few are able to provide long term support because they are emotionally too close to the patient. The majority of friends and relatives find it hard to be objective. Some of them even go so far as to tell those suffering from depression “to snap out of it”. This is fatal as this is exactly what they want to do but are unable to do so.
(more…)

Have you been feeling extremely tired lately? Are your muscles sore and are you lacking energy for the activities you love? Do you or your mate seem moody, crying for no reason and unmotivated?

While we commonly complain of stress headaches, sore backs and a lack of sleep these can all be signs of overstress and can interfere with our quality of life and enjoyment. What can you do if you or a family member is overstressed?

WHAT MAKES YOU OVERSTRESSED?

The key to understanding overstress is not merely a list of sources of stress; it is how we are personally coping with these sources.

What would seem to be manageable stress to one person may be overstress to another. Some researchers suggest that our ability to handle life’s stresses may have as much to do with our inherited tolerance as with our lifestyle. What is crucial though is identifying the symptoms of overstress and learning to adapt our lifestyle to reduce stress.

While we may all have different tolerances for stress it is also true that certain lifestyles or changes in lifestyle can lead to overstress - marriage, divorce, death of a loved one, job change, job loss or debts are all major stresses.

Other factors such as allergies, shift work, strained relationships and too much work are also stresses that in combination can add up to overstress.
(more…)