Taking breaks doesn’t necessarily mean you’re avoiding your responsibilities, we all need to take breaks sometimes so we can have the stamina to be our best selves. As someone who has a crammed schedule and a lot of anxieties, having feelings of being overwhelmed is nothing out of the ordinary for me. It took me a long time to figure out how to manage my time and figure out how I could have me time that isn’t at 1 in the morning. Here are a few ways that I have learned how to restart and slow things down.
Some of my favorite things in life are small and often forgotten about. I’ve recently made small changes in my everyday routine to give myself more “me time”. To start the day, I like to walk to class. This might sound silly but the walk is not short and it’s easy to fall into the habit of driving across campus to avoid it. I have grown to look forward to my morning walks because it gives me an excuse to take deep breaths of fresh air and it helps clear my mind. It’s also a great excuse to do a little exercise which always makes me feel good. Every night, I make it a point to dim my lights, light a candle, and journal about my day. This allows me to get out all my feelings and thoughts I had throughout the day in a healthy way. Journaling has helped me get things off my chest, relieve my stress, and inspires me to be more organized with my goals. Making time for myself has been the best escape from everything and helps me stay grounded.
Treat yourself is one motto I live by. Letting loose and splurging on something that you normally don’t is guaranteed to make you feel good. Take a break from work to catch up on your favorite Netflix series. Eat almost the whole tub of Ben and Jerry’s half baked. Go to the mall and buy the shirt that you’ve been eyeing for months. One thing that I normally splurge on is a good face mask. After a long day, it makes me feel so fresh and it allows me to wash my day and problems away.
Let’s be real, sometimes when your mind is cluttered, your living space gets cluttered too. Doing random housekeeping helps me take my mind off of whatever I am worried about and just overall makes me feel better. Having everything be put together makes me feel more put together myself, even though most of the time, I’m not.
Lastly, my main tip is to just breathe. I always forget how good taking a good deep breath actually feels. Focusing on your breathing can really help you calm down and find your way back to reality. When I am in a panic, I practically hyperventilate and when I start focusing on my breaths, I feel the weights immediately lift off my shoulders. I usually count my breaths and inhale for 4 seconds and release for 4 seconds and I do this until I feel like I can think clearly again.
