As a college student, few things are certain. You will have to take midterms and finals. You will have to learn how to balance maintaining a social life and studying for your courses. Then you have to find time to meet with your professors and attend all your club and exec board meetings. You also have to find time to watch Netflix, eat well and somehow get 8 hours of sleep. You will be swamped with assignments and you might find yourself sobbing in your bed because you feel like it’s too much to handle. Feeling overwhelmed is perfectly normal for college students and you are not alone. Here are 10 things to do the next time you find yourself thinking you’ve taken on more than you can handle.
1. Try to relax/take some time to take care of yourself.
You won’t be able to get anything done if you’re too stressed. This means taking a few seconds to stretch your body, read a post from your favorite blogger *wink wink*, jam to your favorite song, and shower if you need too. Whatever gets you out of your head and in relax mode.
2. Get some sleep.
Being exhausted won’t help you at all. Even if it means quick power naps or a full night’s sleep, do what you can to make sure you’re in the best possible mindset to work.
3. Make sure you eat.
If you’re hungry, nothing will get accomplished. And don’t try to insist, “I’m too busy to eat.” Take 5 minutes, grab a bar, a fruit/vegetable, anything that can keep you nourished, and enjoy. Trust me, your body (and mind) will thank you.
4. Create a to-do list for what you need to accomplish.
Get out a spare notebook, a piece of paper, a whiteboard…anything you can write on and something that you won’t forget to check.
5. Accomplish the little goals.
By accomplishing little goals, you won’t be distracted when you try to work on the bigger ones. For example, take a minute to send an email or make an appointment (small goal), then work on your huge project.
6. If you need help with a task, ask for it.
Whether it’s friends, family, your work partners, your boss/professor. If you have questions or are confused, ask for help.
7. Try to avoid procrastinating.
Speaking from a lot of experience here, try not to procrastinate. It’ll only make you more stressed and overwhelmed, which isn’t what you want. Trust me.
8. If something doesn’t work out, move on.
Maybe you failed an exam, or forgot an appointment or a meeting that you were supposed to attend. Instead of focusing on what you didn’t do, try to move past it and onto the next task. The past isn’t something you can change.
9. Try to get outside if you can.
Taking a few deeps breaths of fresh air can do great things, even if you only have a minute to spare. Fresh air beats stale inside air any day.
10. Remember that you’re not going to always be overwhelmed.
Sure, you’re overwhelmed now, but there will come a time where all of the stress and anxiety will go away. So instead of panicking about what you have to do, keep in mind that it won’t always be this way. You can do it, I believe in you.