It happens to us all! Coping with last minute stress

Hey guys!

I apologise that I have been unable to update anything lately. Stupid Ellie! Life has been super hectic since my last post with all these interviews, studies, costume work and I am even about to settle into a new full-time job!

All cosplay veterans have been there; we start a new costume early and what happens? Life gets in the way! No matter how early you start you may have setbacks that makes this time of year super stressful, especially if you have less that 2 weeks to go! You may have a lot of stuff to do left but you have worked to long and too hard not to try to get the costume finished!

You may be able to tell that I am in this exact same situation. I have a lot of painting, gluing, biasing and thermoforming left to do. What can we all do int his situation?

Consider what exactly needs doing and make a list
Sometimes, this could make a difference between a doable or far-fetched project. Your stress levels may lower just as you cross things off the list. I might be just some minor details such as painting little details or making a full garment. What may help is consider realistic deadlines and stick to them!

Think about whether or not if it is really a realistic goal
This may be the hardest decision you would make at this point. It might be sad to leave your costumes to one side but the rush might end up ruining your costume. If you are confident enough to proceed there are ways to get everything sorted. If things go go wrong what can be done about it?

Think about your schedule
What days can you work on your costume? Do you have any important events you can not cancel? Try to do bitesized chunks between your activities to lesson the load the next day. TRY NOT TO PULL A SICKIE! Use them only for when you really do need them as in my opinion cosplay is no excuse to interfere with your work life. Alternatively, it may be a good idea to get the week before the con off if possible.

Make sure you eat and sleep properly too! You will not be able to work your best if you don't feel your best.

Have sewing parties
Your friends might be in the same boat too so if it is the case try to band together. This can reduce the stress and you all can help eachover out, as well as giving tips to speed some processes. You can also arrange to come together in town to go shopping together for supplies and toiletries to get a precon buzz! The fresh air will do you a lot of good!

Have a dedicated workspace
If you can, keep most of your work in a corner. That way you can ensure you keep everything together to hopefully save having your stuff going missing. Cleaning up will be easier at the end.

Start packing about a week before the con
If you need to wait a little before advancing onto the next stage then packing may be a really good idea. For starters, you can make sure you can take everything you need, secondly if anything is missing you have time to buy whatever it is, thirdly you are less likely for forget anything and most of all you have mostly 1 thing out of the way so less pressure for you!