I have to confess something. I love predictability. I love having a schedule or a routine, where my days have a comfortable rhythm to them. Now you’re probably wondering how the heck I’ve survived college this long with its weird class schedules, various club meetings, random hangouts with friends, last minute invites, while also trying to fit workouts and trips to the store, summed up college is always throwing something unexpected at you. Consequently, readjusting to the rapid-fire pace of a college semester always leave me feeling… off, unsettled. As hard as I try, change has never been easy for me, so if you’re in the same boat here are some tips to help yourself reacclimate and stay organized.
1. Love Your Planner
My planner is basically my holy book. Every assignment, event, exam, reminder, thought, idea, goes into my planner. I’m always paranoid I’m going to forget a due date or appointment, so everything gets jotted down. My method through the madness is to keep all due dates in my planner, and all social events/appointments in my iCal with the alerts turned on.
2. Leave Time For Yourself
With everything going on, often times we neglect to schedule time for ourselves. Anyone that knows me is aware of the fact that I’m a very social introvert, meaning sometimes I need to make time to recharge. It’s important to let your body process and decompress after an eventful day.
3. Exercise
I know this one is a little repetitive, but it works. Have a project/test/due date that’s left you crazy stressed? My go-to is hitting the treadmill for an interval workout. This way, I can harness all of that anxiety and frustration into those 30-45 sec sprints; and if running is your personal hell try power walking around campus to get out that pent-up emotion.
4. Write It Down
I’m a person who tries to hold everything in my mind unless I write it down. It’s exhausting and my mind gets way too cluttered. It doesn’t have to be lengthy, it could be as simple as filling out your planner or jotting down a fun memory in a journal. Either way, once you’ve gotten it down, your brain can finally free up that space for something more important.
5. Have a Night Routine
Read a book, write, draw, have something that cues your mind that it can shut off for the night. Then not only will you fall asleep faster, but you’ll sleep better too.
6. Limit Screen Time
I know once I’m back on campus my phone remains glued to me for most of the day. FOMO is definitely something I struggle with, so it’s a constant effort for me to distance myself from my screens. Remind yourself to be present.
7. Meditation/Yoga
You’re probably picking up on the general importance of clearing your mind, and these next two can both do that. Meditation for whether you just want to relax or yoga if you’d rather add some movement in, taking time to look inward and not just constantly responding to the world around us can make a big difference in terms of your mental state.