Everyone needs a day off, especially during this time in the semester. With everything piling up it’s important to take a mental health day every once in a while, but it’s also important to avoid having one mental health day turn into two mental health days and then falling behind. If you’re looking for ways to get out of a rut, take a look at these tips!
As much as staying up until 2 a.m. scrolling through TikTok feels good in the moment, getting a good night’s sleep will be so much better in the long run. Waking up early is a great way to start off your day and gives you more time to get everything done. A solid 7-9 hours of sleep will let you start your day feeling refreshed.
Especially in the colder months, going outside is a great pick me up. During this pandemic, it can be easy to get stuck inside for days at a time; making you feel sluggish without you even realizing it. So get out there (safely!!!). Drink your morning coffee on your balcony, go pick up breakfast from your favourite bagel place, or go for a walk and listen to some good music or a new podcast (The first episode of our new Her Campus podcast Girl to Girl is out now!). Getting outside early is a great way to feel energized for the day!
To get into a productive mindset, it’s always important to plan out your day. Making a to-do list is a great way to visualize what you want to get done in a day and hold yourself accountable. After taking a mental health day, ease yourself back into your work, keeping your to-do list between 4 and 7 items only. All of these items don’t need to be related to school either. Cleaning your room and exercising also take time and are perfect additions to a well-rounded to-do list.
All in all, exam season is a hard time for everyone. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like no matter how hard you try there is always more work to be done. It’s important to remember that progress isn’t made by big changes. As much as we all think we can, no one can write a GOOD paper in one day. Progress is made by always showing up and making small moves every day and I hope some of these tips will help set you up to start making those moves.
You got this!