How Do You Tackle Stress?

...was the question my 21-year old daughter got yesterday, while attending a job interview. Afterwards she felt she'd come up with all the wrong answers, and wasn't sure what they'd thought of her. But how do you answer a question like that, or any of those interview questions? Maybe it hasn't so much to do with what you answer as how?

But for me the question was relevant in itself, as I've been under tremendous stress lately. As mentioned I had to let go of the exams for this semester, and now that factor is gone at least. The good thing though is that I'm not feeling as a failure because of it, thanks to all my friends and other qualified people reassuring me. It is absolutely true, it doesn't change who I am, or my course, I just had to readjust my bearings a little.

The funny thing though, is that once I knew I didn't have a deadline to meet, my thinking started to work again. And now I have all these wonderful ideas in my head again. So what does this say about my ability to handle stress? Hopefully not all that much; I'm rather confident that the pressure a student feels is somewhat different from that working in the "real world". Of course that depends on type of job, for instance I know I would make a lousy chef. The cooking wouldn't be any problem, but doing it ultra fast while remembering how many extra potatoes the guest at table 3 wanted, and did he or did he not want that lemon wedge with his fish?

Of course you'll grow into your job; nervous and insecure at first, getting steadier and more reliable as you gain experience. That might be the problem with studying, it's easy to feel that you're always at something new, and hard to see what you've actually learned. And you always have to prove yourself at the end of the semester, in a very unnatural situation. Imagine an engineer being locked up in a room with a pen and paper with the assignment: "You'll better have the drawings for that bridge finished in the next couple of hours! And good luck, by the way!" Even my Java-exam was made on paper...

For once I can't seem to be able to wrap this up nicely, so I'll just finish this post rather abruptly. Have to go to bed, 'cause that's one of the things I really need to attend to. My sleeping habits. Or lack of them.

Good night, my friends, and see you soon.