Institute for Organization Management - A Program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

  • About
    • General Information
      • Institute Policies and Procedures
      • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
    • Recruitment Toolkit
    • Prospective Student Toolkit
    • Media
    • Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact Us
  • Curriculum
    • Core Curriculum
    • Elective Curriculum
    • Webinars & Resource Center
  • Sites & Dates
    • Winter Institute
    • Midwest Institute
    • Southeast Institute
    • Northeast Institute
    • 2022 Institute Schedule
  • Registration
    • Register Now!
    • Deadlines and Fees
    • Scholarships
      • Enrollment Incentives
      • State Partner Scholarship
  • Who’s Who
    • Staff
    • Volunteers
    • Faculty
    • Sponsors
    • Alumni
      • IOM Alumni Database
  • Blog
A PROGRAM OF THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION
 

IOM Blog

October 14, 2016

Tried and True Principles to Combat Mounting Stress

I tend to write based on the circumstances under which I am currently living.  And right now, that is the college application process.  It’s now time for all of the effort spent keeping his grades up, preparing for standardized testing, gathering writing samples and recommendations, and visiting six college campuses to pay off.  We have reached the application and essay phase.  We are all in and looking forward to the November 1st deadline.

Our son confided in me yesterday that he hasn’t really been stressed about the process until now.  Now it is real.  I am hoping that by applying some tried and true principles, we can both get through the process with minimal stress.

I have encouraged him to remember – to thine own self be true.  I may have ideas about what I think is best for him (after all, it’s been my job for the past 17 years) and his friends may try to influence his choice, but only he knows what environment will feel like home, will feel supportive, will offer the types of classes and programming that will give him the collegiate experience he is looking for.  I am a division I, large state school gal.  He is small, private, division III guy.

I encouraged him to remember his goals. Our public school system started teaching students about setting goals in Kindergarten. When I was a kid, I do not remember anyone ever talking to me about goals. I often wonder how things would be different in my life if I had learned to set goals. When faced with a challenge, I have taught my son to check things against his goals. How will the decisions he make advance what he is working towards? What are the possible roadblocks?  The promise of moving him closer to his goals was a big factor in ranking his college choices.

I visited two college and applied to one. I was accepted.  But for my son and his peers, applying to college feels like a full time job. When the demands of the process get to be too much, I remind him to do the next right thing. Blocking out the long To Do list and focusing on the next thing to move the process along has served us well.

When it all becomes too much – step back and take a break. Dialing up something from the Netflix queue, going for a run, grabbing a quick power nap, or whipping up some cookies are all sanctioned breaks in our home.

Celebrate the victories. Whether it is prioritizing schools in order of preference, a draft of the application essay, a great meeting with the cross country coaches, we counted them as victories and took the time to enjoy them. We are looking forward to celebrating meeting the November 1st deadlines and then to celebrating receiving his acceptance letters later this fall.

Teresa Eyet
Teresa Eyet, IOM

Senior Director, Conference Programming and Educational Development, American Health Care Association

As the AHCA/NCAL senior director of conference programming, Teresa strives to continually research and develop programming that is forward thinking and engaging. She facilitated the development of the curriculum for the Quality Symposium; the newest national professional development offering from AHCA/NCAL. She established the webinar program into an important content delivery method and is currently developing a learning management system and an elite trainer community. Teresa also transitioned the association away from paper collateral and into the online and app environments. Prior to joining AHCA/NCAL in June of 2005, Teresa enjoyed a long career as a television producer and researcher specializing in programs that both educate and entertain. Her programs aired on Discovery Channel, TLC, Travel & Living, and Discovery Wings, as well as numerous non-broadcast credits. Teresa has a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master’s Degree in producing for Film and Television from the American University in Washington, DC.

Comments

  1. Sherri says

    October 18, 2016 at 6:05 pm

    Awesome Blog post – yes stress is running high in our household too. Thanks for these wonderful reminders to keep balance in the house.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
DONATE NOW!
UPDATE CONTACT INFO
Sign-up for Emails
Approved Provider

About

  • General Information
  • Contact Us
  • Curriculum
  • Prospective Student Toolkit

Sites & Dates

  • Winter Institute
  • Midwest Institute
  • Southeast Institute
  • Northeast Institute

Resources

  • Scholarships
  • Faculty
  • Sponsors
  • Update Contact Info
  • Volunteers

Follow IOM

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
IOM Blog

Institute for Organization Management - A program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce © 2022 | Privacy Policy