Last semester, I wrote about taking the stressful edge off of November, and in my life at least, April is November’s stressful Spring cousin! In addition to the usual almost but not quite the end of the semester exhaustion and duties, plus tax and allergy season, this April brings some extra stress with all the holidays, a time-consuming (but also long-shot) grant application, some work and dance projects coming to fruition, and two long haul dance trips (one of which is our regional qualifiers for nationals). On the bright side, April is apparently also both Scottish American and Arab American heritage month, which is a nice coincidence in my world!
Today marks the halfway point of April. For me, it feels like April just started and at the same time will never end. So, what are my plans for surviving April 2022?
Prioritize Sleep
Easier said than done, especially when work stress infiltrates my dreams, but I find that the more things I have going on, the more sleep I need. This is also where a little planning can come in–if I know in advance there’s something that will interfere with my sleep (like an early plane flight), I try to see if I can plan in some recovery time close to it.
Advance Planning
My general academic motto is “Nothing extra in April and November” and as such I try to leave April pretty open when I do my semester plan. While I never know exactly what will come up in April, it is a predicatably stressful time of year. By early February this year, I knew this April was going to be particularly challenging, and I started turning down almost everything I was asked to do, trying to make extra space. So far, I’ve needed all of it and am very grateful to my past self!
Keep clearing space
At the beginning of April, I looked again at what was on my plate and tried to move anything I could, including delaying more “maintenance” type items that I usually try to do a weekly basis (budgeting, online shopping, resetting the mudroom, etc.). Weekly planning did not get cut, as I consider this essential. However, I have shifted the days I do it each week, to allow for more flexibility. I will pay for this a bit in May, but as long as I don’t postpone these items indefinitely, it can give me a bit more space in the short term.
Eyes on Summer
When April ends, it will be just two weeks until my summer break! Although New Mexico always seems to have an April freeze, the warmer weather and light evenings help remind me summer is comoing. I have a lot of exciting things planned this summer, for work, dance, and my family, so thinking about what’s coming after April helps me keep going.
So, this is how I’m surviving April this year! If you try any of these, or have additional tips, let me know!
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