Taking Control and Combating Stress Post Festival
by Pauline Thai
Staying healthy and motivated is difficult, especially when it seems like there isn’t enough time in the day to eat or sleep. However, letting excess stress build up can lead to superbly negative mental and physical effects. Coping with stress properly means seeking out positive and sustainable ways to overcome it that also fit with your tight schedule. In light of the 34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF), this blog post is dedicated to positive ways to approach stress and stay motivated under pressure, as alternatives to using tobacco products, including flavored ones.
Here are some facts we’ve found about how smoking affects your health:
- Smoking impedes your exercising ability and increases your risk of stroke. This is because lung capacity shrinks and the risk of blood clots goes up.
- Those who are injured or are in recovery for ailments can take 20% longer to heal.
- E-juice has been proven to effectively prevent immune cells from functioning properly.
- E-cigarettes contain toxic chemicals that may lead to asthma, respiratory infection and other health problems.
Here are some tips that our Festival staffers used during Festival Week to keep healthy and motivated under stress:
- Exercise daily for at least 15 minutes.This doesn’t have to be extremely rigorous; however, getting some daily activity can dramatically help reduce stress levels and keep your daily needs for movement intact. If you’re tough on time, try taking a short walk around outside or doing some simple workouts at home to start the day.
- Listen to a familiar playlist or one that has meditative songs. When working or studying, listening to music can help your productivity and reduce stress. Try listening to a playlist that has meditative or familiar songs.
- Eat at least one meal sitting down without external distractions.Sitting down to eat a meal without your phone or any external distractions can be a very grounded experience, especially if you’re operating under a lot of stress. Though this might seem like a difficult thing to do when crunched for time, it will help stabilize your thoughts and focus on the present. It is also a good way to take a mental and physical break from a busy schedule.
- Keep sticky notes as reminders. (Limit tasks on your list to 5-6 a day). Making lists are great to keep track of what you need to do during the day. However, many make the mistake of creating excessively long lists that could lead to additional stress. Limit the amount of tasks you allow yourself to write down (aim for around 5-6) in order to make them relatively easier to achieve. In doing so, you how to tackle your day realistically and reduce the pressure felt to accomplish everything.
Hopefully these tips to stay healthy and motivated are useful, and don’t forget to enjoy yourself as you recover from the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival!
Pauline Thai is currently a senior at the University of California Los Angeles, studying Art, Asian American Studies, and Entrepreneurship. Her interests are in community activism, social innovation, and all things creative. Coming from such a multifaceted and unconventional background, she aspires to challenge conventional thinking and compel others to do the same.
The California Tobacco Control Program is a proud sponsor of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. They are spreading the word to parents about the dangers of flavored tobacco products, including e-cigs, which more and more kids use because they come in flavors like mango and strawberry. All tobacco products are toxic and highly addictive. Visit FlavorsHookKids.org for more info.
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