Alexa Davison
Changing my social media algorithms to show things that make me happy when I choose to scroll was one of the better decisions I made moving into the new year. Instead of mindlessly scrolling and comparing myself to others (which, don’t get me wrong, I still do sometimes), I have attempted to fill my social media with things that I love seeing and purging accounts that don’t serve my mental health. With that being said, I’ve started a saved collection of quotes that resonate with me and figured I would share some, along with a few other things that have helped me push through the winter quarter slump.
My dad was the first person to introduce me to Jordan B. Peterson. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, who blew up on the internet by speaking about controversial topics and sounding like Kermit the Frog. He overcame his public controversy and cancel culture by continuing to speak on youtube and sharing his insight, which I find to be extremely wise. His Instagram handle is @jordanpetersonsociety and I highly recommend following!
One of my favorite quotes/speeches from him starts with,
“I know you’re intuitive and intelligent, but you’re destroying your peace by confronting everything you observe. Let it flow.”
@jordanpetersonsociety
He went on to say that we have to stop giving so much time and energy to the people and things that do not love us back. Instead of focusing on what we can’t have, we need to focus on things that will grow with proper attention. I like to think of this as watering my own mental health plant; when I attend to it, watering it with things like checking off my to-do list, getting my work done, exercising, etc., I keep my mind at peace. However, when I’m combative with myself or others I am disturbing this peace and creating turmoil in my head.
Aside from social media, I’ve found that having a productive morning by filling the extra time with things I enjoy sets me up for a better day. I know everyone preaches about how waking up early makes you more successful, yet it sounds too difficult to try it. However, I think the difference for me is framing my earlier morning as ‘I get to start my morning with more time to do the things I love,’ instead of ‘I have to get up and be productive.’ I genuinely find that when I wake up earlier, have time to make breakfast and coffee, and get more time to spend at the gym, I enjoy my day even more.
Lastly, I think reading and journaling both come with a “that girl” routine. Let’s be honest though, is reading and journaling at the top of our list of priorities? Personally, I feel that if I’m writing something down or reading then it should be for school. I do better with these habits when I’m away from school, and I do enjoy them when I remember to do it. I think (if you don’t already), we should all make an effort to read more, journal more, use less social media, and work on having an active lifestyle for our own pleasure. I think that the “that girl routine” is ultimately just a routine of doing more things for her personal benefit. I hope with the few weeks we have left in this quarter and for the spring quarter, we should work towards watering our “mental health plants” and start putting ourselves first.