If you’re anything like me, you’ve gotten to the point in the semester where you’re starting to get into a slump, and you’re quickly losing your motivation and beginning to feel burnt out. For me, it has gotten to the point in the school year where the “newness” and the “excitement” of being a student again has worn off, and this is just my new reality.
I have always loved school, and I’ve always been a good student. I love learning and school gives me tasks I am able to complete to keep me busy. However, there always comes a point each fall where the little tasks become tedious and the “student aesthetic” loses its appeal. When I begin to feel overwhelmed, I know that if I don’t do anything to combat that feeling, I will fall into a major slump. For me this means a severe lack of motivation, feeling tired all the time but restless before bed, feeling lost, and sometimes irritable. Feeling this way impacts my day to day life, so it’s important that I take steps and indulge in activities which bring me joy and reset my mind. Here are my top five:
- Go for a walk.
Oftentimes when I am having a horrible day and it feels like nothing can go right, I turn to my mom for comfort. I have done this so many times, and each time, the conversation leads to her saying, “Have you tried going for a walk?” This always made me feel so frustrated because no, Mom, I haven’t tried going for a walk. How ridiculous does that sound? I’m anxious, stressed, and crying. Does it look like I want to go for a walk?
I hate to admit it, but she’s always right. When I feel overwhelmed or when I have a lack of motivation, getting myself up and going for a walk always makes me feel better. I love to put on some comfy athletic clothes and tennis shoes, grab my headphones, put on my favorite playlist or podcast, and get outside. Going for a walk can be whatever you want it to be. It could look like a 10 minute walk around the block, an hour or more around your neighborhood, or even hopping on the treadmill at your home or gym. I prefer to go outside, feel the fresh air, and focus on resetting my mind. To do that, I like to think of where I am, and where I want to be. Then I set goals and try to inspire myself.
If that hasn’t convinced you, there are so many proven benefits to going for a walk, physically and mentally. According to WebMD, some common benefits include stress relief, increased energy, improved sleep and increased mental alertness. One of the most notable benefits is an overall mood boost because walking increases blood flow and circulation to the brain and body. This has a positive influence on the central nervous response system, which is responsible for how your body responds to stress.
So, the next time you feel not like yourself, try taking a walk. Focus on your physical and mental health a little, and you’ll feel the difference.
- Switch up your routine.
Usually when I feel like I am in a slump, it’s because I have been living the same day over and over again. Going through the motions becomes exhausting and boring very quickly. There are some things that we are unable to change because of jobs, school, or other personal commitments. But I believe that there are always little ways we can change to switch up our day to day lives.
For me, this can look like a lot of different small changes. I like to change up the kinds of food that I eat for my meals. Instead of eating toast every morning, I’ll try to add different fruits, yogurts, or even treat myself to some breakfast sandwiches to make the morning feel more exciting. Another small change I like to work into my day is taking a different route to class. Seeing the same scenery and passing the same people each day gets really old, really fast. Being surrounded by a new environment is exciting and gives me something new to look at. Or, if you’re looking for a more significant change, swap out some old items in your wardrobe for something new, or perhaps even try a new haircut to switch things up.
According to Clarity Clinic, people may experience less burnout and more positivity in their day-to-day life. To avoid getting into a slump and prevent burnout, try something new.
- Find a new hobby or activity.
When I feel stuck, I like to learn something new or go back to an old hobby. The worst thing I do to myself when I am in a slump is lay in my bed whenever I get the chance and scroll on my phone for hours. Every time I do this, it always makes me feel so much worse. So to avoid getting myself in an even worse situation, I find other activities that will keep me busy and not allow me to sit and rot on my phone all day.
One of my favorite activities is learning a new language. My favorite website to use is Duolingo. It is super beginner-friendly and offers lots of different languages. Another thing I love is to color in a coloring book. My favorite coloring books are the Disney Color By Number books that are offered on Amazon. They keep me busy for a while because the books are so intricate. If you’re looking for something that will help get your energy out instead of sitting around, I will always recommend going to the gym. Being active is such a good way to reset your mind. If you’re nervous about going to the gym or working out around other people, there are also so many good online at-home workout videos that are a lot of fun. Sometimes I prefer these videos because I don’t have to go far to do them and some don’t require any equipment. If none of these options sound appealing to you, there are so many other options ranging from things as simple as cleaning your space, re-organizing your pinterest boards (I love doing this), or just spending time with people you love.
- Social Media Cleanse
Realistically speaking, I am not the kind of girl who can just delete her social media for a week to make herself feel better. I will admit that like most of my generation, I am addicted to my phone. I use social media to communicate with my friends and keep in touch with people that I don’t get to see often. I used to have a really unhealthy relationship with social media because I used it to compare myself to others. It always made me feel so horrible about myself. Since then, I’ve made it my goal to only use it when it feels right and for healthy reasons, and to take a break when it doesn’t feel good anymore.
For me, a social media cleanse means going through my following and deciding if following specific people is good for me or not. For example, in the past I followed some people only so that I could compare myself to them, which is seriously not healthy. So now I like to do little check-ins to make sure that what I’m seeing everyday is good for me. Another thing I do to cleanse my social media is unadd people that I don’t know on Snapchat. In middle school, and even at the beginning of college, I thought it was cool to have as many people as possible added on Snapchat. Now, there’s so many people that I have never met and I simply don’t need to see what they’re posting because it’s not relevant to my life. It’s a form of self care :)
- Journal.
I have found journaling to be exceptionally helpful when I am in a bad or even neutral space. I used to think I was oversharing with people and putting a burden on them when I was sharing what I was going through. I thought that maybe they didn’t care or perhaps they just didn’t need to know. Although this is not always the case, I wanted to find a way to still express how I was feeling without the guilt of weighing down someone else. Journaling is the perfect solution. I like to think of it as writing down all of my emotions, and leaving them on the paper. After finishing the entry, it’s like a fresh start.
All of my journal entries are different. Some entries are pages long, highlighting detail about my day, or explaining a particular situation. Others are drawings, quotes or lists. Journaling can be whatever you want or need it to be, and that’s the beauty of it. Finding out how to make it beneficial to you is the best part. There are a ton of journal page ideas on Pinterest if you have a hard time thinking of any yourself.
These are just a few of the steps I like to take when I find myself feeling unmotivated or like the days are all blending together. Of course there are also days where the only thing I am capable of is laying in bed and doing absolutely nothing productive. The most important thing is to know what works best for you. Take it case by case, day by day.