As college students, it can be difficult for us to keep our lives together. Living on your own, being social and doing well academically is a lot to juggle at once. Finding balance is the key to feeling self-assured and less stressed.
As a senior, I am struggling to stay coordinated and organized. With preparing to graduate in a few weeks, planning the next steps of my life, balancing work, school, relationships and involvements, it’s been a lot. The constant chaos of my life has motivated me to do little things that my future self will be grateful for.
Feelings of burnout are hard to face. Oftentimes, when I am feeling overworked, I find myself avoiding my responsibilities altogether, which just creates a bigger mess in the long run. Here is a short list of things I began doing to gain back control of my life.
1. Make a to-do list
This one may be obvious, and you might already be doing this — which is great! But let’s take it a step further! Check off at least three things on your to-do list every day. Rest is imperative, but I know you can squeeze in three tasks a day that will make you feel less overwhelmed. Get up, pay your electric bill, answer that text from the person who has been trying to make plans with you, and call to schedule your dentist appointment! See, it wasn’t that bad. And now you feel accomplished.
2. Chip away at your bigger projects and assignments
School is stressful! I know you have an essay that you’ve been putting off. It’s due in three days and you haven’t started yet? Instead of letting the fear of starting it take control of you, open your laptop, put your phone on Do Not Disturb and work on it for just one hour. You’ll be surprised by how much you can get done in that short amount of time — and maybe you’ll be motivated to work on it more!
3. Wake up one hour earlier
Once I started doing this, I was genuinely surprised at how amazing it feels. Instead of waking up at 10 a.m., wake up at 9 a.m. Now when I wake up, I feel less scrambled and have time to get dressed, make my bed and plan out my day. Waking up in a rush is never a good way to start your morning. This one may seem hard, but it isn’t that bad once you get used to it! A little motivation: I used to wake up at 1 p.m. every day and now I’ve worked my way to waking up at 9:30 a.m. I promise you can do it too!
4. Self-care
Don’t forget to carve out some time for yourself every day. You have a busy life, and your feelings of being overwhelmed are normal and valid! Self-care means something different for everyone. Take some time to watch an episode of your favorite reality TV show, apply a face mask, take an extra-long shower or treat yourself to a comfort dessert for all the hard work you’ve been accomplishing. Most importantly, speak kinder to yourself. The way you speak to yourself matters! Take care of yourself. Your body is your home, and you are the greatest project you’ll ever work on. Make sure to squeeze in some time to feel gratitude, love and nourishment amid the chaos of your life.
