The Daily Cupcake: When It's Driving You Crazy

We've all had those days/ weeks/ months where everything's just driving us absolutely up-the-wall crazy.
Sometimes we handle the chaos and stress by screaming, kicking, succumbing to panic attacks, or, if we're a ridiculously fortunate British singer named Adele, writing and making a #1 hit album out of our rage and fury. But, if you're not quite so lucky and usually end up becoming roughly 1,000 times less productive when you're all up-tight, don't worry. As far as I know, that's normal. Stress can improve our performance in the heat of a competitive moment (a tennis state championship, for example), but it can also wear our wits thin if it's prolonged (cough cough, the end of the school year, anybody?).
I haven't found a panacea for alleviating stress and trying situations.
But I have discovered a few tricks that might help you get a grip on things and let you keep calm and carry on (and no, it doesn't require purchasing a pillow/ poster/ bumper sticker with that phrase on it).

If this is you, please continue reading.

So here's my simple and reasonably effective new strategy for dealing with stress:

Make a list.

[I would like to take this moment to point out that I am absolutely practicing what I preach; check it out--you've got yourself a nice little list right here to start with!]
Reality Check: the first time you make a list you might end up ruining it with tear marks or you might tear it up and chuck the paper confetti into a trash can. But do not be discouraged. If your list does overwhelm you, it's even more important that you write it out (and write it out on real paper, not on the computer where you can "accidentally" hit the delete key and watch your responsibilities vanish). When you write your list, write every "to-do" item that you can think of in two minutes. Just two minutes. No longer. Once you've completed your list, write a goal time on the top of it so that you know when you're aiming for to have it done by. Helpful hint: put your goal time about 25% earlier than you think you need to complete the entire list to motivate you to challenge yourself and understand that you can get everything done.
Don't forget: cross every item out once you've finished it!

Talk it out

It's a commonly held misconception that we, as social beings, are supposed to only let other people think that we're 100% happy, confident, and under control all of the time. But dear reader, you are in for a rude awakening if you've ever bought into this ridiculous idea. No one is perfect. No one is happy, confident, and in control of their emotions 100% of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. In fact, there's a famous quote (I cannot remember who said it, but I don't take any credit whatsoever for relating it to you) that says something along the lines of "we can be in control of our actions, but never our emotions". So we all know how it's hard to keep feelings and reactions bottled up inside and suffer through like a stoic pillar of stone. Because we know this, you should know that it is completely okay to talk about all this emotional baggage with your friends and family.
A confession: I've done this probably a little too much in the past few weeks--but guess what? I feel better after talking/ explaining it all anyways.
This is a method that works. Confronting your fears--saying something like "I'm nervous" and owning up to your honest feelings--immediately reduces some of the stress. After all, it's hard to be stressed out and pretend that nothing's wrong. Save yourself some energy and try a little less--and talk a little more.

Run away

Doesn't this sound ridiculously tempting? Before you get too excited/ relieved, let me clarify; this bullet point on your new to-do list does not mean that you should flee the room when forced to confront your problems. Quite the opposite. It means to let that nervous, jittery energy escape your body in a way that's healthy, both mentally and physically. AKA: go for a run. Or play a sport. Or do some brutal wall sits and then go for a run. Or swim laps until you're feeling rather exhausted. Or....
You know what I mean. Engage in productive, healthy physical activity. With the appropriate mental concentration, endorphin-pumping activities, you'll feel vitalized, refreshed, and much more in control of yourself. After all, who could doubt Elle Woods' flawless advice on the subject? (In case you have no idea that I'm referencing Legally Blonde, this is the part in the movie where Elle insists that Brooke is innocent. The quote goes as follows: "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy just don't shoot their husbands." So....)

Drink it in

I would like to make it clear that I am not encouraging you to drink alcohol. Quite the opposite. In this post, I am encouraging you to drink everyone's favorite, most necessary beverage.... WATER! Keep a bottle with you all through the day and be sure to have a glass of something at every meal; with extra stress floating around, you want to be hydrated, alert, and not extra-anxious, and water helps with all of these things.
If upping your water intake per day doesn't cut it, also try opting for low-caffeinated tea. If you get a tasty blend with enough caffeine to keep you going but an amount of caffeine small enough so that you can justify drinking it until about 5PM, you will soon realize that the tea kettle is your new low-stress best friend.

Laugh it off

Laughter is the best medicine. But you know that already! So here are two new ways for you to increase your dosage of this healthy, happy, 100% natural (except when forced...) medicine.
First, what to do when it gets awkward... If you are stressed out, you are probably focused on about twenty things at once (ex: you're hurrying to lunch, texting on your phone to someone telling them that you're already going to be late, trying to find the one important piece of paper in your bag that you probably left in the kitchen at 7 in the morning, freaking out about a test/ project coming up, and of course trying not to scream in frustration at all the overwhelming and unfair ridiculous things that keep popping up for you to deal with... Sound familiar?). When you are focused on twenty things at once, you are going to make mistakes. Because you are human, remember? So, when the mistake happens, acknowledge that it's completely ridiculous and humiliating. If someone saw it happen and laughs, you laugh too. Because honestly, wouldn't you laugh if you saw it happen to someone else? And then, ready...... you move on. Voila! Like magic, only better.
Second, when there's no one around to see how awkward your stress made you... This is for when you're at home and are procrastinating/ freaking out because you have so much work to do and you of course are not doing it because you are reading this blog post... or because you've reached the point where it's physically impossible to do anything more. So, here's what you do. You either read one of my three previous blog posts (or check out the funny book called Anguished English), YouTube Drunk Makeup Tutorial, or hang out and laugh with friends or family. Give these activities 25 to 30 minutes of your undivided attention. Then, you move on. Yay!

Stop talking and listen

Sometimes it helps to just take a moment and listen. And don't you dare think for a moment that I'm not being completely serious. Take a listen to any of these things and it might just create what feels like a miracle and you'll feel better.
Because it's spring: the birds, the rain, the wind (it's relaxing, and it's quite easily accessible...)
Music: Demetia by Owl City (in case you forget how crazy everyone else feels), Lady Gaga (because despite her fashion choices which you may or may not comprehend at all, she gets it. Like, really gets it), T Swift (in case you thought that you have relationship difficulties.... Ha)
Meditation: Internet tutorials