Overwhelmed.
It’s an ‘overwhelming’ word for sure, and I’m sure you’ve gotten a little too close for comfort with this word as well. As a junior in college involved in four organizations, has an on-campus job, and studies a very competitive major, being overwhelmed is my specialty. Even with the amount of stress I carry throughout the week, I wouldn’t change my lifestyle; being involved in so many things I’m passionate about is a blessing to me and I’m so grateful to live the life I have now. However, I definitely haven’t been giving myself the self-care I deserve and it’s shown in how quickly I burnout. In order for both me and you (yes, you too girl) to live our best boss life, there needs to be some changes; all it takes is a little push.
My mind is running through five million thoughts and tasks a second when I’m overwhelmed, so the first thing I always do is brain-dump every task and thought that comes to mind. Once everything’s on the table, I start connecting what’s important to focus on as of now versus if it can wait until a later date. Doing this helps me put things in order so that I feel like my life is somewhat back on track and not two miles ahead of me.
Now, as much as I love true crime YouTube, I get distracted super easily. In order for me to really concentrate on my work and get shit done, I need to be completely immersed in it. To do this, I usually like to do my studies somewhere in public, as I’m a shy girl and don’t like others knowing what I watch in my free time (does it make me seem more of a future killer? Possibly, but this isn’t what this article is about). Watching videos gives me a nice background noise, but it’s way more distracting then listening to music – what I’m saying here is that putting together a list of bops you really enjoy and help you feel either motivated or relaxed is a great way to get your study rhythm going. In a way, finding out what needs to be done and setting aside that quality time to do those tasks is a form of self-care for me. I’m in no way saying that your productivity should define your worth, IT SHOULDN’T. For me personally, when I complete assignments off my what seems like an endless to-do list relieves a great amount of stress for me; it’s kind of like a weight being lifted off my shoulder.
What else do I suggest for self-care when you’re overwhelmed? Whatever you want sweet girl (or boy!). If I had to give you all a piece of advice when taking the time for you, is to actually take the time for you. You deserve quality time to yourself to recharge your mental and physical batteries; along with that, time isn’t something you can really supplement, it’s irreplaceable and should be treated as such. Yes, I get it, you have a lot of work on your shoulders, so how could you possibly find the time for this “self-care”? You make time. The worst thing you can do to yourself, especially when you’re in the middle of this big tornado of meetings, assignments or whatever, is to ignore your body’s signals of exhaustion. Challenge for you: take at least 30 minutes to pick a relaxing activity that you know you enjoy and can feel rejuvenated from. Trust me, you deserve it!
