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To all my student leaders on campus: please take a day to just breathe. I know, I feel you. There is no time to just breathe. Your organization needs you, you have class, you have school work you have a million things going on each and every day. But please, just breathe. We live in a college culture where it is romanticizing being overly involved but honestly it is EXHAUSTING. There is pressure to build your resume and get the most out of your college experience. All of that is important but so is your sanity.
It seems as if we live in a world where busy means productive. Often times being too busy will take a toll on you in different ways. From your mental health, psychical health, grades anywhere, you will see something suffer. It is not fair to you, your grades, or even your organization to see yourself fall. While I understand some of us (like myself) just cannot stop being busy, here are a few tips to sink back to reality:
1. Get a Planner
If you are an “all-dayer” and don’t have a planner, how are you even functioning at this point? Writing everything down week by week allows you to see everything that needs to be done and gives you the satisfaction of crossing things off your list. You can get a super cute (and affordable) planner from Michaels! Plus, they usually have coupons.
2. Prioritize
A follow up to the planner is prioritizing your assignments. Figure out what is due first, figure out what is going to take the longest and go from there.
3. Keep Track of Eating Habits
The FIRST thing I want to do when i’m overwhelmed is binge eat my favorite snacks. It is comforting and helps me feel sorry for myself. However, I have noticed that when I eat healthier, my mood is up and I feel a lot better.
4. Work Out
“I’m too busy” was probably the first thing you said when you read this. Yeah, me too. But at this point it’s the only thing saving me from a panic attack. 30 minutes in the gym will help increase your mood. It’s a healthy stress reliever that can boost your energy.
5. Create Me Time
It can be as simple as watching a youtube video at the end of the day, scrolling on pinterest or just taking a hot bath. Take some time to decompress at the end of the day.
Overall, don’t forget you are human and need time to destress. It’s okay to have down time. You NEED downtime. There’s no point of being involved if you don’t have time to enjoy it. Best of luck. You got this!