Taking a breather from life is crucial to keep yourself sane
Being a college kid, homework, club meetings, exams and having a social life is a fight for time. I often feel like there is not enough time in a day to get one of those things done, nonetheless all of them. Before spring break, I was struggling to get everything done on time and have the motivation to keep pushing myself to do all of the extra parts of being a student. I struggle with not resting, I will continue to push myself even after I have burned out, and continue to cause harm to myself. Before break, I found that I was burnt out and instead of plowing on like I normally do, I decided to take a breath. I wanted to share a few ways I turned the last few days leading into my spring break to be a healthy much needed breather.
The first thing that I did was give my body a break. I love working out and it is normally a part of my daily routine. I will push myself physically through pain and lack of motivation. I decided to take a break from this daily routine and gave my body time to rest. Instead of running and lifting, I decided to practice yoga and go on a walk with friends. This brought the fun back into working out and let my body rest. After I felt that my body had recovered and I felt my motivation for a workout routine, I increased the length of the walks and added more movement to my routine. I did this to ensure that my body was prepared to get back into running and make sure that I could gradually build back the endurance and cardio strength that I had taken a break from.
Another way I took care of myself was by providing my body with good food. In college, it is sometimes hard to find and provide your body with good nutritious food. I often am lazy and go for the convenience aspect. This week I decided to put more effort into getting good food. I ventured out of the dining halls and found food that made me happy and was better for me. Some of these meals included burrito bowls, smoothies and wraps. This made me happy and brought my appetite back.
I also started to prioritize my sleep. I realized that I was struggling to get six hours in a night. To help increase my sleep, I created a night routine that started at the same time every night. I started getting ready for bed at 9 PM and was in bed by 10 PM. Though I was normally not tired at that point, it helped me calm down from the day and prepare my body for sleep. I also made sure that my phone was away by 11 PM. I plugged it in under my bed to make sure that I was not tempted to check it after 11 PM. I was able to start getting more sleep. I saw my sleep increase from six hours to eight hours really fast using this new routine. This also made me feel more awake and productive the next day which made me have better days. I realized how important sleep was and how to maximize it even on a busy schedule.
The last thing I did was spend time with my best friends and family. I start to feel overwhelmed with the amount of people at the school and can feel very intimidated trying to keep meeting new people. I focused my time hanging out with people that I was already comfortable with and I had good relationships with already. I called my friends from home and my mom and dad once a day. It made me feel more relaxed and comfortable to hear from people that mean a lot to me. They were also able to keep me motivated through the week and would check to make sure that I was doing everything I needed to do. I appreciated that they were able to help me and I was able to talk with them. This helped relieve the pressure I was feeling to be social.
Overall, life can get busy and the demands can add up. It is important to prioritize yourself and make sure that you are listening to yourself emotionally and physically. By eating well, doing light workouts, connecting with family, and sleeping well, I was able to get my motivation back and feel better. These steps often sound redundant, but as I did them I found it very helpful. Everyone is different and these steps will impact everyone differently but hopefully they help you just as much as they helped me.