Stress Management During Applications - What Do You Do?

Watch the movie "Patton" over and over again

Somehow drinking was not a choice.

Drinking.

hehe, I do that after a ding !

I don't really have much of a chance to stress out over applications. I was suddenly told I had to get something done for work yesterday, which kept me up until 4 am. I've got plenty of things to sort out in my personal life. Some schools want official transcripts before they issue their final decision. Both of my soccer teams are plagued with injuries so there's always clamor for those of us uninjured players to be available. My parents have somehow found a way to visit me four times this month (I'm a 7 hour flight away from home). One of the people closest to me is finishing up grad school on the other side of the world and has gone through over a dozen interviews, with a few last chances remaining - I absolutely must help her secure the offer. It's optimal outdoor weather now so everyone who has a pet interest (tennis, kitesurfing, etc) puts out tempting invitations. I have to constantly rebuff guitar students who want private lessons - I'm doing this as a community (ie. personalized lessons would defeat the purpose of the activity) service, not for a living (no, I don't want you to pay me). I'm working on someone's portrait (part of the personal life time-consumption) and can almost feel synaptic pathways being reconnected (I come from an artistic family but threw the visual arts away in disgust after I tried to give my mother a portrait of one of her actor hunks that just didn't work out the way I wanted it to.. 15 years ago). One of my biggest goals is to actually improve my knowledge of the local language and my analyst has given me a great systematic framework for doing that.

So in short, I've got enough to keep me busy while schools huddle. And yes, I still do have time to think "c'mon, ladies and gentlemen of the Admissions Committee, c'mon!"

osbornecox - Love your post!

I am too busy to have time to worry about the result more than the last 1-2 days before the result!!

Of course reading good books are the best option to minimize stress but i prefer some fun games in-spite of it. As it not only relax my mind but also energize me with full of enthusiasm.

___________________
Orange County Therapy

spend entire days on gmatclub and checking my personal email - this is post application though..

during actual application process, i just kept reminding myself why I am doing this.

Realize that the MBA itself will be much more stressful and you'll look back on app season fondly.

Luckily, I got completely bombarded with work and grad school assignments throughout February and March. Keeping busy was all I really had to stay somewhat sane and force myself back to the present without dwelling too much on the future. I also went on a snowboarding trip in the middle of the interview invitation period, so having a reason to stay away from constantly checking my email was a good stress-reliever as well.

Usually I am juggling around five things at once at any given time. If I get stressed about one of those, I switch to the other. Rinse. Repeat. If all else fails, I rant to bb on IM. Or GoBruin. He's usually at the receiving end of my rants which usually begin with, "GB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG I WANT TO DIE"

But. It's all good.

To add on to that. When I applied to HBS, I was really nervous and just anxious. But now with the second application in for the Stanny goat, I'm kinda just like, "Alright, I put in my best effort ... ish. It's up to them to decide if they want me; I'm not gonna change what I do for them, so muahahahaha" - ish. The key word is always "ish"

I have three weeks left till I graduate from my undergrad, so I intend to fully utilize that time for advancing to the most advanced stage of senioritis.

For just think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, some people cope with stress in ways that complex the problem. If methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.

Go to GMATCLUB.com of course!

Watch sports, exercise, etc. I'm not doing anything that differently to be honest. To me at least, the more normal of a routine I get in, the less I think about the next round of decision deadlines, etc. They will come soon enough.

Gym of course. Show up angry, leave happy.

Watch Hindi movies.

Seriously, everything always works out for those guys, why can't it work for me? So what if I'm not Shahrukh Khan?

CrossFit.

Posted from GMAT ToolKit