I’m a naturally nervous person. This isn’t a new revelation, in fact, this is common knowledge to my friends and family. For perspective, when I was told my blood pressure was just slightly higher than normal in a routine checkup, my mom replied, “Well, you’re that type of person”, meaning I’m the type to get “white coat” hypertension from being nervous about going to the doctor. I would also say I get “just being out in public” hypertension. Personality wise, I’m naturally inclined to feel nervous and awkward in social situations, and I accept it as part of who I am as an individual. That being said, if it does go unchecked, then it can snowball into feeling anxious and then feeling depressed, usually due to unhealthy coping mechanisms. It doesn’t help that I am a college student, where being stressed is the norm.
It’s no secret that in today’s culture, we are convinced that constantly being on the go is glamorous, that the best students are the ones putting in the most hours studying or have a million extracurriculars going on outside of class. I definitely fell into this trap, so much so that at one point in high school, I had a different activity every day after school, and oftentimes on weekends as well. Although I loved a lot of what I was doing, I was really overwhelmed. By the time I got home to do homework, I was so exhausted that I procrastinated because I was too stressed to think of everything I had to do. Fast forward to college, and I’ve limited my responsibilities outside of class (I write for Her Campus, and that’s it). Sometimes I do feel guilty that I’m not “doing enough”. While I definitely have more plans for the future (volunteering, research opportunities, etc.), I feel that I have a good balance between work and living my life. Of course, I still get stressed, and I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to do what I need to do, much less what I want to do. When I do feel overwhelmed, there are a couple of steps I like to take to make the most out of my seemingly short days. I would argue the main thing I strive for is being mindful, and living in the present moment rather than stressing about the past or future.
Cutting Out Social Media
One thing that has helped me enjoy my day more is using social media less. Not to sound like your mom, but life just gets so much easier without parts of social media. Of course, social media has its perks, but it can also be incredibly draining. Although there are ways to get rid of negativity on your feed (check out my other article for more info), even the act of scrolling leaves me more restless and generally annoyed. Usually, I’m on social media between classes or waiting in line for food, generally moments in which I’m trying to kill time. I’ve found that reading a book or even just taking the time to just look around or gather my thoughts centers me, and makes those precious minutes between class seem more meaningful rather than time just passing by. If you feel like your social media time may be intruding too much into your day, the iOS 12 update on the iPhone allows you to set a timer to limit your time spent on certain apps (which is what my roommate likes to do).
Eating Without Distractions
Food and eating habits can be a sensitive subject for people, and I’m no exception. Personally, I feel unsatisfied after eating if I mindlessly shoveled all my food into my mouth while watching something or scrolling through social media. Taking time to just sit and pay attention to eating (maybe even talking to my friends) makes each bite more satisfying, and the whole meal seems more fulfilling as my senses are all focused on it. Obviously, don’t let me tell you how to eat, but if you’re someone who finds yourself unable to eat alone without doing anything, it might be an interesting exercise to try. If you only have 20 minutes between your classes to eat, this may make those 20 minutes feel less time crunching than if you’re trying to do multiple things at once. I also stopped doing homework while I eat, as this gives me a much-needed break, and chances are I’m not being very effective at working anyway.
Time Tracking
So, you’ve stopped using social media, you’re taking time out of your day to eat, and yet there still seems to be not enough hours in the day. Maybe a couple of those hours are hiding somewhere in your day that you’ve missed. Especially at the beginning of a quarter, when my schedule is so new, I like to time track my day. Maybe you’re not making good use of that hour and a half between your classes, or maybe you can wake up an hour earlier so you have some of the mornings to yourself before heading to afternoon classes. If you write down what you do each hour of your day, you can see where things may be out of balance and how you can rearrange your schedule to the best of your ability. This can be useful to help make use of your dead hours, whether it’s for productivity or the equally important rest and relaxation.
Yes, Meditation is Out There
I specifically put this one last as lately it seems to be the first thing everyone thinks of about when someone mentions being mindful. Meditation is a skill, and obviously, not everyone is going to love it, which is fine. You don’t need meditation in order to be mindful. That being said, it’s an option, and there are many meditation guides on the internet to help you. Maybe we can expand our idea of what mediation involves. You can meditate while walking, running, chanting, or while waiting three minutes for class to start. Even though I’ve never been big on meditating, I often like to sit or lay down somewhere quiet and just focus on my breathing, taking the time to do nothing. We are not made to be constantly on the go, and rest–even while awake–is good for us.
Of course, if you see me around campus you may see me eating while watching a show, or listening to music on my way to class, or scrolling on my phone before a class begins. There are no hard-and-fast rules to what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about listening to your body, checking in with yourself to see how things are going. If they’re going well, then great! I’ll listen to a podcast or read. But if I’m feeling overwhelmed, like there’s no time in the world, then slowing down and taking the opportunity to just observe what’s around me, and observe what’s within me, gives me enough centering to realize how many little moments I have in my day all to myself.