Okay, let’s be real here, I feel like this semester has been an absolute sh** show for everyone. I honestly was going into the Spring semester with such high hopes for all that I was going to get done, but truthfully I can’t help but feel like I’m constantly behind. I can’t get into the right workout routine, I have homework due every day, and I overall just don’t have any free time to myself anymore. I think we all need to take a serious step back and do some evaluating and prioritizing here. Trust me, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed this early in the semester, you are not alone. We’re going to go through our day step by step together and get to the bottom of this. You are going to finish this article with a fresh mindset and some much needed inspiration.
First, take a deep breath. Seriously, it helps. Take comfort in knowing that whatever negative feelings you’re experiencing now are temporary, I promise. Between all the chaos of our lives, it is so important to stop and smell the roses, allow yourself leniency, and protect your peace from the craziness of the world. Remember that it’s just as important to grind and get work done as it is to take care of your mental and physical health. If you don’t, you’ll burn out even more and it’ll become this unexpected spiral of emotions. Start now!
We’ll start with something extremely simple. I know it’s extremely cliche, and we’ll get into some unique self-care routines later, but chug that water the minute you wake up girl. If you didn’t already know, chugging a whole bottle of cold water in the morning will wake you up just as well as a cup of coffee. Your morning sets the standard for the entire day. Aside from that, as soon as you wake up you should be able to look into sunlight within the first five minutes. I know it sounds impossible, but I swear to you it will wake you up and start your day right. You won’t feel groggy, you won’t feel the need to turn over and go back to sleep, and you’ll actually feel so much more awake than you ever have in the morning. Make sure to open those curtains up and let the light in, you’ll end up being your most productive self that day!
If you’re at your wits end and nearing that spiral, I beg of you to get outside and walk. Please, just walk. No need for an extensive workout, that’ll just exhaust you more. But absolutely nothing will make you feel better than fresh air and sunlight. While we’re on this topic, no sad music while you walk. I know it’s so tempting to feed into the emotions and really milk the lonely girl persona, but it will only tire you out. Instead literally just walk without any music at all. It’ll allow your brain to process your emotions so much better and you’ll feel so refreshed after your walk.
Take. A. Mf. Bubblebath. I mean all the works: bath salts, a candle, your favorite show, fresh fruit, (a glass of Barefoot Moscato perhaps), and of course, a big fluffy towel straight out of the dryer. If you think taking a bath is gross, girl you are missing out. It’s time to live on the edge. You can also shower first and cleanse yourself from a long day before rewarding yourself with bubbles. I actually dream of taking a bubble bath back home pretty much every day. If you don’t have access to a bath currently… I’m sincerely sorry. If you do and you haven’t used it yet, bleach that sh!t and treat yo self. If you have a bath and exploit the opportunity like I do, then I love you and we would definitely be friends. But seriously, a bubble bath is the definition of self-care. Remind yourself that you are young, hot, and you would never give your body anything but the best.
Make a sleepy girl cocktail. The way these work is actually crazy. I make mine with cherry juice, magnesium powder, limes, and sparkling water. I swear it’s literally so good and I didn’t think it would actually work until I tried it. It’s the perfect nightcap before bed and as someone who has a horrible sleep pattern, I practically rely on this now. Additionally, try listening to white or brown noise. I’m someone who can not fall asleep for the life of them, and I wake up like ten times in a night. I can’t fall asleep if there’s any noise or light in the room, sometimes I go a whole night without sleeping it’s actually the worst (I lowkey should probably get checked out). But I tried listening to brown noise the other night and I fell asleep faster than I have in probably the last few months. If you go into the settings on your phone->Accessibility->Audio & Visual->Background Sounds and turn on the little switch at the top your phone will literally play background sounds for you all night. I plug my phone in because it does use some battery and turn on ‘dark noise’ and it literally sounds like I’m in an airplane. I swear it’s so peaceful I could listen to it all day long.
Lastly, organize your phone while you’re laying in bed. For me there is always more to organize in my phone and it’s literal therapy. Go through your playlists and delete the songs that you always skip. While you’re at it find some new songs by artists that you like and create a fresh playlist to listen to the next day, you’ll be so glad you did when you’re walking to class. Go through your apps and remove anything you haven’t used in the last year, it’s just taking up storage at this point. Make sure to go into your settings and look at your subscriptions too, I did this and unsubscribed to at least like $40 worth of stuff I was paying every month (I surprise myself everyday). Don’t forget to do your big one too and clear out your camera roll (or at least put a dent in it). It’s kind of fun going through old memories anyways, I always end up sending my friends and family a bunch of photos.
Speaking of therapy, if you didn’t know, Chico State offers free therapy through their Marriage and Family Therapist program. It benefits both you and grad students who are working towards becoming therapists (this isn’t an ad btw lol). From what I’ve found on Chico State’s website it’s once a week during a time that works for you and you can count it as one extra credit towards your degree. It’s something I’ve always wanted to look more into and I definitely encourage anyone who can to take advantage of it to do so before you graduate!