Hello everyone! Welcome back to another issue of Concrete. I’m Aunt Glia, your resident Agony Aunt!  

How are we all doing this fine month of March? I can almost hear the collective cry from all the third-year dissertation students in the back.   

Me too, gang.  

It’s always stressful, isn’t it? Whether it’s exams, summative work or a dissertation, we all know the feeling when the academic pressure starts to build up, alongside everything else. I am writing this article in UNIO late after studying eight hours and my eye is twitching from excessive caffeine intake. Do as I say though, guys, not as I do.   

But that does indeed bring me to the question of the hour:  

“Anne Glia, how do I deal with the excessive pressure from summative work? Balancing everything is so overwhelming.” 

I’d like to draw your attention to the psychological concept of ‘The Stress Bucket’. Imagine a bucket, it can be whatever bucket you want. Mine is pink and sparkly – but that’s just me. Got your bucket? Great.   

This bucket represents how much stress you can reasonably manage. Think of all the stressful things in your life filling the bucket. You have lectures to catch-up on, you’re late to class, your partner forgot to tumble dry your socks and they’re still wet. All these things, big and small, fill up your stress bucket. Eventually your bucket will fill, and you might struggle to manage it all. That’s when I do something like buy yet another planner, or decide I need to dye my hair (no this is not a sign to dye your hair. Remember, as I say not as I do, people!).  

When the stress bucket is full, we need to empty it. Emptying the bucket could be done through any activity that makes you feel calm; things like your favourite hobby or even just chatting with a friend. However, there are also research supported methods of emptying your stress bucket. Gulzhaina Kassymova and colleagues published a study on stress reduction techniques for students in 2018, finding meditation, deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation to be some of the most helpful!  

Once you’ve emptied your stress bucket a bit, it’s time to organise. The ‘Eisenhower Matrix’ is one method of organisation that I personally find beneficial. Divide a page into four, along the top write ‘Urgent’ and ‘Non-Urgent’ and down the side write ‘Important’ and ‘Not Important’. Then you can divide your tasks accordingly. Focus on the ‘Urgent/Important’ box first and then work your way through.   

Now, your stress bucket is empty, and you have a to-do list organised by priority. Also, find me in the Puzzle section to find out which relaxing activity is best for you based on your horoscope!   

Whatever you’ve got going on, prioritising your mental health is important. After all, you can’t pour from an empty cup! Take the time to invest in yourself, find a method of organising that works for you. You’ll be alright.  

Best of luck,   

Anne Glia.   

Photo credit: Unsplash