Tags: sleep

Let's face it, being in graduate school is pretty stressful. As my former roommate said, "I always feel like I should be doing something, even if I've completed all of my assignments." This is one of the truest statements you'll ever hear about graduate school. The constant feeling that something, somewhere needs to get done can get really stressful and fast.  Here are some things I've found are helpful in managing stress:

If you are like most graduate students, you dread midterm exam week.  Personally, I cannot think of one person I know who actually likes taking exams or gets really excited about studying for long periods of time.  I can usually handle the "spaced" out exams where I have one exam per week.  The real challenge comes when you are forced to have to study for 2-3 exams in the same week and it almost turns into a game of Russian Roulette deciding which exam you are going to study for.

Last week, all the work and lack of sleep finally took their toll on me. After more than a year in the United States, I got sick for the first time. It was a good run, which unfortunately had to end. Note to self: A flu shot is not an end-all for all diseases. You could get a cold - and that was exactly what I got. Being sick is just a hassle - piling up my to-do list even higher because I need to get better. I had to spend the entire Thursday in bed to try to get at least a little better. I think I got sick because of lack of sleep.