As students, one of the more stressful parts of life is the process of sending out and receiving applications. On top of the usual pressure of work you've got to compile various bits of often obscure information and package it in a way which makes you look even more appealing than usual. Fortunately, we've been thoughtful enough to provide 4 tips to help alleviate the stress:
- Emotionally disconnect
Compartmentalising is a popular buzzword amongst psychiatrists and intellectual bores. However, you should definitely compartmentalise when filling in applications and obtaining the results. On the one side is the you of everyday life, on the other is 'Clerical You', completing the task with robotic efficiency and responding in kind. It will hopefully make the process less taxing and easier to deal with. - Take breaks
Breaks are one of life's greatest pleasures, particularly the tea break. Even if you are mentally dividing up your various jobs and tasks, you still need to separate the time periods in which you are working. Like the robotic example listed above, you can only carry on doing one particular thing for any given period without needing a break to recharge. This is particularly true with such emotionally and mentally taxing work as the application business can be. - Talk to friends
If the pressure does become too much, even with all this advice being thrown at you, then try to talk to friends about it all. The chances are they're going through much the same process and will have advice and anecdotes which make you feel a bit more comfortable with the situation. All in the same boat, etc.
Finally...
- Get out the house
Go for a walk, a run, a cycle. Feed some ducks perhaps? It doesn't matter what you do just get out of the house. Aside from providing some beneficial down time it'll also help put everything in perspective, which will be nice.
