As I’m writing this, it’s the middle of finals season. The weather is getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and the work just keeps piling up. I feel like I’ve reached the peak state of being overwhelmed from trying to keep up with everything—from studying to keeping up with assignments to my job to everything in between. I’ve noticed that I’ve been left with little energy to take care of my mental and physical health.
This is pretty unfortunate because I think health is the foundation of life. I know that if my mental health is bad, everything else will inevitably crumble down. It’s kind of a chicken-and-egg problem—the busier I am, the more likely I am to make excuses to push my mental health to the side (Oh, I can’t go to the gym, I have to study, I can’t journal tonight because I’d rather be on my phone, etc…). When I consistently put these things off, my mental health gets knocked down a few pegs, making me less motivated to get things done, even when I’m super busy.
The good news is: there are a few practical activities that I’ve found super easy to add to my daily routine, that don’t just include gratitude journaling or drinking enough water (even though that’s really important, too). What I’ve found is that once I ease into the habit of doing these things, it remains something I’m able to control even when I feel super anxious and overwhelmed. As a bonus, I have more energy throughout the day to focus during lectures and study time, get important tasks done, and spend some time on my hobbies.
Getting enough sleep & sleeping early
However, I do have some struggles with this—the time right before bed is when my thoughts really start to spiral without all the usual distractions. This can make it really hard to relax enough to actually go to bed, which brings me to my next point: having a solid nighttime routine is key for me to not only sleep better but wake up happy. Some things that work for me are going on a walk to stretch my legs and clear my head (especially if I’ve been inside all day), writing down a plan for the next day (even if it’s just three things I really need to get done), and shutting off my screens at least an hour before bed. I’ll usually spend that last hour before I turn off the lights reading, meditating (even if it’s just five minutes of sitting in silence and working on my breathing), or journalling, which has been the best outlet for my negative thoughts and feelings. The best part is that nobody is ever going to read my journal, so I can really get things off my chest.
Making time to get out of the house every single day
I find that I’m happier on the days when I leave the house to go somewhere because I’m getting fresh air and being amongst people in some capacity. On the days when I know I’m going to be home all day, I make plans to get out of the house, even if it’s for a short time. I’ll meet up with friends, get some errands done, or sometimes walk down the street to my local coffee shop on my break. I try to get out during the day to get some extra Vitamin D! All these things are normally within walking distance for me, too, so I’m killing two birds with one stone: getting outside, and getting exercise, which brings me to my next point…
Getting exercise
When I actually exercise consistently, it has so many benefits. I don’t overcomplicate it either; it’s nice to go to the gym when I can, but sometimes it’s just as simple as putting on a 15-minute workout video or going on a brisk walk in my favourite comfy outfit and putting in my headphones to listen to my favourite podcast or playlist. Lately, I’ve been going on a walk as soon as I wake up instead of scrolling on my phone first thing and I’ve noticed it’s helped me have more mental clarity throughout the day.
My go-to for walks or cardio sessions at the gym is Allie Bennet’s “treadmill strut” playlists on Spotify; she has tons of them based on popular artists or movie soundtracks and the best part is that you can easily match your walking pace to the beat of the songs. My personal favourite to listen to is Justin Bieber, but to each their own!
Doing my best to stay organized and keep on top of my tasks
The more organized I am, the less likely I am to get super overwhelmed. Of course, feeling this way is inevitable, especially when finals roll around, but I find that keeping organized in my assignments and tasks, and managing my time well, is my number one defence mechanism to avoid feeling overstressed. I mainly use Google Calendar and Notion to keep track of my to-do list and important events or appointments I have coming up. It’s also really helpful for time blocking, giving me a better sense of when I can realistically get things done.
Putting my phone down and getting my head up
Social media has a big impact on my mental health because it often forces me back into my own mind and that’s where the thoughts start spiralling. Finding time to get off my phone and spend time doing something I love has worked wonders. I get outside, work on a Her Campus article or another creative activity, invite my friends out on a coffee date, go out to lunch with my sister, or just spend some time with my family in general. Spending time with my family and friends makes it a little easier to open up to them about what I’m struggling with and it can really take a huge weight off my chest. Even better, once I’ve told them about it, they can help me find ways to manage it.
What I’ve learned recently is that taking care of my mental health is key to bettering my relationship with myself; a happier mind means a happier me.