How to juggle it all: Anxiety, time and money
This material is part of the workshop “How to juggle it all: anxiety, time and money� that was held on March 21, 2018. The workshop was facilitated by the psychologists Carla Vale Lucas and Filipa Oliveira, from the Psychological Unit of the University of Madeira.
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air‌ If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.� Bryan Dyson
Striving for balance: a “must-have�
Intrapersonal stress (any stress from your physical (diet sleep‌) or mental health (anxiety) or financial situation)
Relationship stress (Stress from relationships with housemates, friends, parents‌)
Environmental stress (stress relating to your work or living setting)
Beware the overflow
Academic/work stress (workload, performance, deadlines, conflict with lecturers, tutors or colleagues)
•
Problem focused coping skills (e.g., learn time management, join a club to make friends)
•
Emotion focused coping skills (e.g., doing a hobby, relaxation activities, talking to friends)
“recycled stress” from unhelpful coping skills E.g., avoiding the problem, using alcohol / drugs to cope
Stress bucket: Brabban & Turkington (2002); Carver, Scheier & Weintraub (1989); Ross, Niebling, & Heckert (1999); UNSW Counselling Service (2007). Stress bucket. Retrieved from https://es.scribd.com/document/156710719/Stress-Bucket
Helping coping strategies for “juggling life” • Anxiety management • Time management • Money management
Anxiety management
Not all anxiety is bad! anxiety
anxiety
anxiety
Anxiety
Steps to help better manage anxiety
Step 1: learn what trigger your anxiety and recognize the signs of anxiety
Physiological
Behavioral
Psychological
Where do you feel the anxiety in your body?
Retrieved from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8f/df/b8/8fdfb8fb47e6ddb82bac0cb37ca71658.jpg
Step 2: Identify and change negative thoughts
Situation
What I think
What I feel
What I do
Break the cycle of negative thoughts that are producing more anxiety.
If you are stuck on a negative thought, ask yourself: Where does this thought lead me to?
destination
Ask yourself: – Is it true? – Is it absolutely true? Can you see this thought in a different way? – How does this thought make you feel? – What would things be like if you didn’t hold this belief?
Step 3 Change your inner speech and believe in your potential
Step 4 Practice self-care and teach your body to relax at the slightest sign of anxiety
What to do if you need immediate relief? Start with deep breathings
Retrieved from http://thechubbyrunner.com/4-ways-to-improve-your-breathing/
What to do if you need immediate relief? Start with deep breathings
What to do if you need immediate relief? Count slowly up to 10. Try to focus on something different - Stepping back from a problem helps clear your head.
What to do if you need immediate relief? Talk to someone. ASK FOR HELP! IT’s not a sign of shame. It’S a sign of courage!
Manage TIME is to Manage LIFE
Why time management is important? Some benefits Gain more more control, less stress. Good time management means not waiting until last minute and rushing to complete assignments. Feeling behind increase anxiety.
Reduce procrastination. If you schedule specific periods of time to complete activities, you will be less likely to put tasks of until tomorrow.
Complete more tasks. Being a good time manager means that you can complete more tasks and be more successful in what you do. Setting priorities and reassessing your progress can ensure that you spend sufficient time on your academic activities. Enjoy your free time. Knowing that you have completed your assignments and met your deadlines can make you feel less guilty about taking off some time for yourself. Nadinloyi et al. (2013)
Time management... Make a time anaylsis to figure out how you’re spending your time and what to improve. - Try to track everything you do for at least for a week (including showering, eating, reading emails and patches of wasted time); - Keep a time log.
Key skills to better manage your time
Set goals
Learn to Prioritise
Plan and schedule your ativities and tasks
Set goals How to set SMART GOALS?
Specific
What exactly do you want to accomplish?
Measurable
How will you know you have succeeded? How will you track your progress towards your goal?
Attainable
Is it in your power to accomplish it? What setps are you going to take to reach your goal?
Relevant
Why is your goal important to you? How will meeting this goal help you?
Time-bound
By what date and time do you need to reach your goal? When will you begin taking action?
Set goals Let’s take a look at an example…
My goal: I need to exercise more! Specific
Walk for 30 minutes every day
Measurable
Time walks
Attainable
I can walk in the late afternoon near my home…
Relevant
I think exercise will help me to deal with academic stress!
Time-bound
I will start tomorrow!
Break down large goals into smaller and more manageable tasks that can be achieved in short time frames.
Retrieved from https://medium.com/behavior-design/hyperbolic-discounting-aefb7acec46e
Learn to prioritise Covey’s Time management matrix It’s a useful tool for organising and prioritising the activities and tasks.
Important Vs Urgent • Important activities are those linked to your goals and values. • Urgent activities may require immediate attention, but might not reflect those things most important to you. Retrieved from http://www.mytimemanagement.com/time-management-for-students.html
Learn to prioritise Covey’s Time management matrix
Reduce your time in quadrants 3 and 4 and spend more time on quadrant 2.
Retrieved from http://www.mytimemanagement.com/time-management-for-students.html
PARETO’S PRINCIPLE RULE
20% of input (time, resources, effort) accounts for
80% of output (results, rewards).
Retrieved from https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/time-management-rule/
Plan and schedule your activities and tasks Plan now, enjoy later! Some things to think about when creating your schedule... • What time of the day does your brain work the best? • How much time will you allocate for each task? • How long at a time can you concentrate on a task? • Have you given yourself time to take breaks and self-care tasks (ex.: exercise, socializing with friends, sleep, relax)?
• Did you leave some spare time for unforeseen? • What kind of scheduling tool(s) will you use?
Plan and schedule your activities and tasks Useful tools Some examples of Apps
To organize your schedule: • Use Calendar and agenda • Keep a To-do list (if possible, update every
Homework Planner
Calendar
Google Calendar
Studious
day)
Note-taking
Remember the milk
Evernote
Google keep
How to get things done? Stick to the plan...
Just get started • Your motivational state does not have to match the task at hand. Making small progress on a task can help to renew the interest in the task.
Establish bright lines • Leave little room for negotiation once you put something on your agenda.
Use small chunks of time • Use small chunks of time to make progress on something. For example: review class notes, completing readings assignments and brainstorm for the next project assignment.
Abandon perfection • Give yourself only a set amount of time to do it and move on to the next task. Novotney (2013)
How to get things done? Stick to the plan...
Avoid distraction • For exemple social networking, email checking, internet browsing, among others. Focus on what matters! TIP: Download some produtivity tools that allow you to block distrations (access to sites) Firefox’s Leech bolock I Google’s StayFocused I Apple’s Focusbar app
Review your progress • Review progress regularly and make the necessary adjustments. Have a contigent plan!
How to get things done? Additional tool
Use Pomodoro technique • Use a timer to break down your work in 25-minute sessions, each separated by a short break.
Money: Common mistakes
Not knowing where the money is going
Not Having a Plan for the Money
Not determining Wants vs. Needs
Succumbing to peer pressure
Abusing Credit & Ruining Credit Score
Live within your means
Create a Budget
Budgeting basics Needs vs wants
Ask yourself these three questions: Can I live without it? Can I work without it?
YES YES
Distinguishing the two can make you aware of how you’re spending your money and help you cut waste.
NO NO
Would other people classify it as a want?
YES
If you answer ‘no’ to all of them, it’s a need. But if you answer ‘yes’ to all, it’s a want.
NO
Budgeting basics Separate wants from needs
Know your cash flow Track your spendings
Set financial limits
Look for student discounts
Cook at home
Find a part time job
Technology aids Money management Mint.com
References Brabban, A. & Turkington, D. (2002) The Search for Meaning: detecting congruence Between life events, underlying schema and psychotic symptoms. In A.P. Morrison (Ed) A Casebook of Cognitive Therapy for Psychosis (Chap 5, p5975). New York: Brunner‐Routledge Britton, B., & Tesser, A. (1991). Effects of time managment practies on college grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83 (3). 405-410. Carver, C.S., Scheier, M.F., & Weintraub, J.K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267-283. Herzog, H. (2013, October 3). 6 must-follow money tips for college students. U.S.News & World Report. Retrieved from https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2013/10/03/6-mustfollow-money-tips-for-college-students Macan, T., Shahani, C., & Dipoboye, R., & Philips, A. (1990). College student’s time management: correlations with academic performance and stress. Journal of Educational Psychology. 82 (4), 760-768. Nadinloyi, K., Hajoo, N., Garamaleki, N., & Sadeghi, H. (2013). The study efficacy of time management training on increase academic time management of students. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 84, 134-138. National Endowment for Financial Education (2015). 40 money tips every college student should know. Retrieved from http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/tools/PDFs/40ManagementTips.pdf Novotney, A. (2013). Where do the hours go?. Gradpsych Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/03/hours.aspx
References Penn State Student Affairs (2013). Manage stress workbook. Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/healthypennstate/files/2016/08/Accessible-online-version-Manage-Stress-Workbook-PennStatefinal-2i5sewu.pdf Ross, S.E., Niebling, B.C., & Heckert, T.M. (1999). Sources of stress among college students. College Student Journal, 33, 312-317. Roque, N., & Handing., E. (2015, April). Planning for sucess: How to use time management to balance roles as a graduate student. Adult development & Aging News. Retrieved from http://www.apadivisions.org/division20/publications/newsletters/adult-development/2015/04/time-management.aspx Seco, G., Pereira, A., Filipe, L., Alves, S., & Duarte, A. (2012). Como ter sucesso no ensino superior: guia prรกtico do estudante. Lisboa: Pactor 6 common Money management mistakes college students make (2012, August 4). UNL Parent Newsletter. Retrieved from http://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/parentnews/1426/8291
Authors information Carla Vale Lucas and Filipa Oliveira
Serviรงo de Psicologia da Universidade da Madeira Funchal, Portugal (2018)
Psychological Unit of the University of Madeira Website: scp.uma.pt Email: servico.psicologia@mail.uma.pt Phone: 291 20 94 98 / 91 81 59 467 Facebook | Linkedin | Academia.edu | Newsletters