Having a routine is essential to get through each day–especially if you’re a college student right now. With classes being web-based this semester I found myself falling into a slump and being completely unorganized (something I’ve never been). School slowly took over my life and I never made time to be social or just take a break from school which was a BIG MISTAKE. After realizing I needed to make a change I slowly developed a routine with school and got my social life back on track but this was still not enough. My routine was doing school Monday through Thursday and going to campus to study, instead of staying in my apartment, while sprinkling in some exercise somewhere. But I still felt like I was in a slump.
It wasn’t until I read somewhere about keeping a journal and finding a new hobby, when I finally overcame this slump I couldn’t escape. As cheesy and basic as it sounds, doing these things changed my outlook on each day completely. I took on cooking, something I NEVER did and even created a food blog with my roommate to keep us motivated to cook. Cooking was always intimidating to me, I thought I couldn’t cook because I wasn’t talented enough, but turns out anyone can cook as long as you follow a recipe!
Soon after I began to journal. I thought this was funny to do because keeping a journal reminded me of when I was younger and had a diary, but I was wrong. I used this new journal to write down goals I wanted to achieve and goals I have already achieved but want to build on. I sometimes do weekly goals, but I mainly keep it to daily goals. Actually writing down your thoughts can be so beneficial. Keeping a journal lets you see what you want to do and also how you can fix certain things that are holding you back. Typically, I journal right when I wake up with my coffee, because I was constantly on my phone from the second I woke up to the second I went to bed, which was only making my slump worse. The beauty of journaling is that you can do it anytime, anywhere! Having these few moments of just you and your thoughts will help you in the long run because it allows you to reflect on your goals and decisions.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I forget or don’t have time, but even if you start journaling or crafting your new hobby once a week or month, that is still doing something to you! Not only that, your brain will thank you because it’s a break from school and everything that’s going on the world right now. These new things I do have really helped me overcome my slump during these uncertain times and I encourage you to try at least one new thing a week. Happy journaling!