5 T ECH NI QUES/STRATEGIES FOR M A NA G ING STRESS A ND A NX IET Y FOR H IGH SCH OOL G R A DUAT ES G OING INTO COL L EGE B Y I S A B E L L A B E TA N C U R THIS PRESENTATION IS INSPIRED ON THE BOOKS: “THE FOUR AGREEMENTS” AND THE “FIFTH AGREEMENT” BY DR. DON MIGUEL RUIZ DO NOT EXPECT O R TA K E ANYTHING FOR GRANTED When you get into college, there are a lot of things that will most likely be new to you. A new environment, new people, different teaching styles, and so on. This first piece of advise is that if you have a question or even the smallest doubt, do not hesitate or be ashamed to ask.You will not regret it, and it will save you the stress from finding out you were wrong or the anxiety from thinking what may or may not be. This also applies to your social environment and classmates. Having a healthy relationship with your friends requires patience, respect, a kind heart, a supportive attitude and many other aspects that must be reciprocated. That is why, you should never take anything for granted. Do not expect anyone to do anything and do not assume anything about anyone. Communication is key. BE TRUE TO YOUR WORDS AND YOUR THOUGHTS College will be a busy period of your life specially if you are a full time student, or if you have a job or other time consuming responsibility at the same time.You will most likely need to change your habits and some important aspects of your lifestyle.You will want to commit to yourself by setting personal goals, so make sure you write them down and set specific dates to accomplish these new things. If you keep procrastinating, forgetting or putting things off, you will continue to be disappointed in yourself and end up stressed out while loosing faith in your potential or self determination. This advice also applies to the promises you make to others or things you say during conversations. Do not contradict yourself with your actions and make sure you keep your promises. If you do this you will not end up feeling anxious about what others may think of you. Stay true to yourself. ALWAYS TRY YOUR BEST This one is pretty self explanatory.Whatever you do, pour your heart into it and never hold back on giving it your full potential. When you know you did your best, you will not be too harsh on yourself or regret anything.You will also surprise yourself when you see how far you can go and the amazing things you can accomplish. However, you need to know your limits. You do not want to overdo things or exhaust yourself. DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING PERSONAL You will encounter all sorts of people during your higher education journey, some very nice and others not so nice. Be the better person and know that anger gets you nowhere and it only hurts you. If someone wants to harm you or has any negative feeling towards you, they are only hurting themselves by carrying all of that negative and intoxicating energy. Do not pay attention to these people, their attitudes or emotions are their problem and not yours. Save yourself the stress, be happy and be kind. BE SKEPTICAL I do not mean you should question everything your professors say or to not believe what they say. What I mean is that you should always pay attention to your surroundings, to what is going on in your immediate environment. Be alert, listen carefully, watch carefully, and stay focused. Also, do not just conform with the information given to you. Dig a little deeper and be hungry for knowledge. However, do not get into unnecessary arguments with other people, do not fight. Like the other advice, this is something for yourself. There is no need to talk. During college you may get stressed out because you may not be the best at a certain topic. So just sit back and analyze everything carefully, write down the questions that pop up in your head, and most importantly, investigate and write down the answers. RUIZ, M.(1997). THE FOUR AGREEMENT. AMBER – ALLEN PUBLISHING. RUIZ,M. RUIZ, J. MILLS, J. (2009). THE FIFTH AGREEMENT. THE AMBERALLEN PUBLISHING.
