Every day I wake up, and I get a text from my mom. It usually starts with “Good morning! Hope you have a great day today! What are your plans for the day?” I then proceed to tell her all of the billions of things that are stressing me out, like how much homework I have to do or how worried I am about future exams. She always reassures me that everything will be okay, and that I have to tell myself, “Today is going to be a good day.”
I have found it very difficult to manage my stress lately. I’m not sure if I’ve just hit that mid-semester burnout that everyone else is feeling, but my inability to manage that stress has had a rather negative impact on my days. When I am at home, I try to take baths, bake cookies, and light candles to relax, but unfortunately I don’t have access to many of those things at college, and I have yet to find effective ways to destress. However, I realized that my mom was right (as per usual). I cannot start my days with a negative mindset or else I will find myself getting upset over the smallest inconveniences.
Starting your day with positivity can look very different. Journaling, planning something fun to do for the day, setting personal goals, or even looking into the mirror and repeating positive affirmations to yourself can all help to incite positivity. I also enjoy writing down things throughout the day that make me happy, even if they are small. It gives me something to look back on at the end of the day as well. Things like the sunset and Worcester having buffalo mac and cheese at grab and go are things that have made it into my journal.
It is important to remember to take things day by day. I used to use my agenda book to plan out my weeks, but I found that staring at all of the due dates at once was rather intimidating. I have begun to plan out each day, and on days that I have exams I even plan it out to the hour. I also like to schedule in showering, eating, and other activities so that I can feel more productive when I cross more things off my to-do list.
Make sure to set time for yourself each day to do something you enjoy. Whether you watch a movie, buy yourself a coffee, or take a nap, doing things that you enjoy doing will put you in a better mood and might even help to motivate you to work on those assignments that are causing you stress.
Always remember to tell yourself, “Today is going to be a good day.”
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