Back to school means the start of so many things. New classes, new jobs, new roommates, new schedule. It also means the start of the never-ending school day—the one that extends until the ‘due at 11:59PM ‘assignment gets finished and then starts up again the next day. To-do lists feel endless with each passing thought of, ‘Oh I could start that today and save myself some time.’ Instead of focusing all my attention on what I accomplish each day, I am re-framing my mindset to create daily habits that help me be more present and focus on my self-care as a human, and not just as a student.
Here’s three simple things I’m incorporating into my days this semester:
- Setting a time to stop working in the evening
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If you’re a night worker like me, you know it’s easy to lose track of time getting lost in assignments and before you know it, the clock reads an ungodly hour in the AM. The cycle of late-night work often leaves me oversleeping and burnt out before the week is halfway over. To challenge this bad habit, I’m starting to keep promises to myself that when 11PM rolls around, I will close my laptop and open my journal. I’ve found that any work I produce after that time tends to be lower quality anyways. My time is better spent asleep than awake and doom-writing whatever answers come to my brain.
- Take small breaks to do nothing
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I recently heard a saying that goes, ‘If you don’t give your body time to rest, your body will make the time for you.’ I completely believe in this mantra and use it to remind myself that every day, it’s alright to spend some time doing things with no purpose, or not doing anything at all. When I say, ‘doing things with no purpose,’ I am referring less to scrolling through TikTok and more of sitting with my cat in my lap while taking deep breaths. Experts believe we make around 35,000 decisions in a single day. The few minutes a day where the only choice I make is to practice stillness greatly impacts my well-being.
- Pick an album of the week
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Music shapes my world. Embracing that feeling, I use music to shape my days by selecting an album that resonates with my emotions about the week ahead of me. This acts as a safety net for whenever I’m experiencing any overstimulation or stress. I put on the music I picked just for me and I’m able to channel my energy back into the songs that I know so well. Keeping something familiar in your back pocket to utilize when the going gets rough is a way of prioritizing your needs as a human ahead of being a student. My recent listens have been: Melophobia (2013) by Cage the Elephant, Jubilee (2021) by Japanese Breakfast, Beatopia (2022) by Beabadoobee, Traumazine (2022) by Megan Thee Stallion, and Definitely, Maybe (1994) by Oasis.
This semester, make time for yourself and find faith in your own capabilities to set goals, achieve them, and overcome any challenge in your way.
HCXO, Aimee