This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Holy Cross chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This past week has been probably one of the toughest weeks I’ve had. I have never felt more checked out and distracted with my academics. It got me thinking about the importance of listening to our surroundings and our unconscious desires. This prompted a special focus on my own mental well-being. Through the turmoil of what this week has felt like, I have made myself a checklist to utilize every time I start to feel mentally checked out, especially as a college student:
- Journal Out: I usually tend to jot down anything that made me smile that day. It could be from randomly getting distracted while looking at a squirrel or when the GrubHub app finally started working again when I was trying to grab food. For me, this helps me see that I did not have just a stressful day or just a bad day. I just had a day- a day that made me go through unpleasant moments-yet those moments do not intend to ruin the whole day.
- Talk, Don’t Hold: It is important for me to recognize that I should not keep my anxieties and worries to myself. This is what usually causes me to suppress my emotions and feel distracted from my responsibilities. Even if it is brief, I tend to talk to my friends about how I feel and as I talk it out loud, I see how relieved I feel knowing that it’s not just me that carries this anxiety.
- Bedtime Friends: It may sound silly, especially as an adult saying this, but stuffed animals are always great companions amidst hardships. I hug my stuffed animals as I lay in bed and reflect on what has happened throughout my day. Just the action of hugging something, especially at night, makes me calm down from my worries before I sleep. Plus, I have noticed that it has helped me lessen my nightmares.
- Air. That’s It: Just taking in the fresh (enough) air from outside clears my mind, even though it might be the chemicals in the air that are killing my brain cells. I’m just kidding. But in all seriousness, fresh air has helped me envision myself being back home. Whether that is through the odd smells of nostalgia or the cold, crisp air reminding me of the good old Wisconsin COLD weather.
I am still figuring out what things serve as beneficial to me when it comes to nurturing my mental well-being as a college student. However, these few practices are the ones that have helped me move forward this week being back on campus from fall break.