With the beginning of a new semester and a new decade, I’m sure I am not alone in trying to shake off the winter break slump and get back into the motion of things. Personally, keeping up with it all (life, school, etc.) is something I struggled with during last semester as well, and a significant contributor to that was my all-or-nothing mindset. When you fall behind or don’t feel like yourself, it can be challenging to be patient and allow yourself time to get back to your baseline. I was guilty of this. When I didn’t have the time or energy to do all the dishes, or all of my homework, or all of the other chores and tasks that accompany adulthood, I was frustrated with myself and would end up doing nothing, because it felt like there wasn’t a point if it wasn’t all done.
Recently I have begun to change that mindset and have started framing things in smaller portions, realizing that doing what I can at that moment is better than being disappointed in myself for not being able to do it all. Doing one load of dishes, one hour of studying for a class, and tidying up one room are all smaller, less daunting bites to take out of a larger, sometimes seemingly unreachable task. Sometimes you need to start small to get the ball rolling, and I hope to continue into this year with an attitude of patience, and I encourage others to also be gentle with themselves going forward.