We’ve all been there—and by “there” I mean the library, internally crying and having a mental breakdown. It could be 12am on a Sunday or 12pm on a Friday, but as the last few weeks of the semester come to a close it definitely seems to be more prominent. All of your semester long group projects, papers, and presentation deadlines have snuck up on you all of a sudden, and when it hits you, it takes all you’ve got not to crawl up in a ball and start rocking back in forth looking like you’ve seen a ghost. At this point, you do not see yourself coming out of this alive. Take a deep breath, because there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if you don’t see it. It can be hard to face these things head on and be productive when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Try these 10 things to help you get your wits about you again…
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1. Clean. Cleaning represents a clean slate and while on the surface it looks like you’re just de-cluttering your apartment, you’re also de-cluttering your mind.
2. Take a shower. Wash away all of your stress and worries with a warm shower. It’s the calm before the storm and it’s much needed.
3. Cry it out. Sometimes it helps to just cry it out. The uglier the face the better. Haven’t you ever heard of the woman who bottled up all of her feelings? It didn’t end well…
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4. Make a list. Getting everything down on paper makes you feel like you’ve got a little better handle on things.
5. Go somewhere new. If you’ve been cooped up in your dorm room or apartment, take your homework to the library or coffee place for a change, or if you’re sick of the library, try creating a new study space in the comfort of your home.
6. Do what’s stressing you out the most first. Whatever it is that’s got your panties in a bundle, whatever it is that’s really putting you in a tizzy—do it. Don’t do anything else until you’ve done that thing that’s stressing you out the most. If you put it off, it will only bottle up more stress, and it won’t make you want to do anything else. Imagine getting that stressful task out of the way. Imagine how happy you will feel. That is just the fuel you need to cross the rest of the items off your list.
7. Time yourself. Most of the time when we are feeling overwhelmed we tend to put things off and re-watch our favorite TV series. To make ourselves feel better about the situation, we might say we’ll try to do our homework while we watch, or we’ll do it during commercial breaks. This is a lie. And you are only digging a deeper hole for yourself, one that is more stressful and more overwhelming than before. Instead, time yourself on each task on your list. Estimate how long you think it will take to do each task, and then try to get it done in that allotted time. You will feel a sense of urgency and competition among your self, and it helps you to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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8. Do all the little things. If you’ve got a long to-do list, try to knock off a bunch of little things that don’t take that much time. You will feel a lot more accomplished, a lot less overwhelmed, and things will seem a lot more doable.
9. Watch “Friends”. If you are strong willed enough (you know if you are or not; don’t lie to yourself) turn on some “Friends” as background noise to your study session. It’s light hearted enough to relieve some negativity, yet not too engaging that it will distract you from your studies.
10. Listen to Bob Marley. Okay, so this may not necessarily help you to be productive, but it will relieve some stress and make you feel a lot better about life in general and put things in perspective for you. It’s a bad day, not a bad life!