What To Do With A Tiger

Hello, friends!

Odd title, but I think it fits rather well with the events around campus during the past few weeks. There is a haunting vibe of exhaustion, a hint of sleep-deprived "just get me through this next class", and a quiet whisper of summer peaking its head around the corner. People are past their point of sanity, papers are due, group projects are getting thrown together, gallons of coffee are being consumed (I swear, we should add up the entire campus' intake...), tears are being shed, and minimal sleep is being acquired. It can be easy to have so much to do, but not know what to do about it. I personally haven't felt this stressed and at the edge of a breakdown (or 7) in a long time, and next week is dead week. Is this a pre-dead week? Did our professor's get confused? Are we off on the calendars? 

My bible study methods professor (Allen Jones, whoop whoop) gave us the "Great Tiger Speech" yesterday.

If there was a tiger crouched in the corner of the room, ready to pounce, what would you do? What is your instinct? What is your body's natural response?

That's easy, and obvious. Run. 

Like any fight-or-flight reaction, your body is designed to provide you with enough adrenaline to run for about 30 seconds in a flat out sprint. In this case, after 30 seconds you're going to stop because either A) you've made it away from the tiger and your body can't handle running anymore, or B) the tiger has caught you.

Now, switch gears. What would you do if there was a final exam in the corner waiting for you?
At this point, let's be honest, we would run (as we often try to...). 

Allen's point was that our bodies can't tell the difference between a tiger and a final that we're dreading in a few weeks. Our bodies aren't prepared to run in a flat out sprint for the next 2 weeks before we actually have to face those finals. So here's what to do with a tiger:

1) Acknowledge it. 

"Hi, tiger. What's up, tiger? Don't eat me, tiger."
Acknowledge that you have a heck of a lot to do and get done over the next 2 weeks. Scream into a pillow or cry into your bowl of ice cream if needed. After that, pull yourself together, and get it all down on paper. Force your brain to recognize what you all have to do, and when it's actually due. If you're anything like me, you already have a stomach ache about a project you don't have to technically start for another week, or a presentation that isn't for a while. P-r-i-o-r-i-t-i-z-e. Focus on what you have to do today, plan what you want to get done tomorrow, stick to that plan, and take it one day at a time. I guarantee this will help slow down your heart rate and kill some of that adrenaline you want to save for the day of your final. 

2) Sleep. Sleep sleep sleep. Sleeeeeeeeeep. 
"Tiger, one second man, let me fit in a quick snooze before we get this thing going." 

Obviously, our logic would tell us "oh, I have more to do, so I have to sleep less." Perfect. But, if you add up all the time you sit on Netflix, eat, Tweet, and freak out about what you have to do without actually doing anything, I would argue that the majority of us actually have time to sleep more than we have been. And since our bodies are literally trying to run from a tiger, we are more susceptible to illness and extra exhaustion right now. So if you normally sleep 6 hours and you're planning on getting 3-4 for the next 2 weeks leading up to finals, you're actually doing yourself (and your brain) worse, and your brain won't be prepared to actually face that tiger head on when it's sitting on your desk in front of you in 2 weeks time. Instead of 3-5, plan on 7. Force yourself to do 7. Turn off your computer, tell your friends "I love you, but I love my sanity more", and get 7. 7 is the magic number. If you've heard Jesse Payne's brain health/development shpeel (or mine...), you'll know why this is so important. But that's a whole other blog post. 

3) Pray. 

Honestly, pray. I know we hear this all the time, but actually believing that prayer is powerful is as important as the act in itself. What's the use if we're praying with no faith that anything will actually change? God's got a great foot in the door of comfort and peace-giving, and the end-of-the-year-cram is no exception. God is watching you freak out right now, and though you think He is unaffected or maybe even that He doesn't care, think again. God feels all our frustration and exhaustive and pain, end-of-semester and all. Our Abba Father does not call us his child and grab our hand to only back away when things get difficult for us. Personally, it helps to make sure I'm taking time in the morning before my day actually starts to be in the Word, read a devotion or two, and then spend a decent amount of time talking with God about all the things I'm anxious about. By the time I'm done, honestly, those things all seem smaller. They pale in comparison to God's ability to give me peace amidst this busy season in life. So next time you doubt God's ability to provide peace and restoration from that tiger, doubt those doubts of Him. He is good, He is faithful, He is able.

Keep on going, friends! We're so so close. 16 days and counting.

Our God is good and constantly fighting for us, even against the tigers. 

Peace, 

Lauren