Growing up sure did happen fast. Remember the days when you could come home from school and spend the rest of the afternoon playing games and watching TV with your friends, until it was time for their parents to pick them up?
When you could roll out of bed at whatever hour you pleased on weekend mornings instead of waking up at the crack of dawn to make it to your morning shift at work on time? Back when you didn’t even need to write down your assignment due dates because you were reminded of them every day—and there were no monthly payments, meetings, interviews, work events or office hours to clutter your mind. Back when life was simpler.
Now, most young adults feel as if they don’t even have time to breathe. Worse yet, with so much on our minds, and the stress of all these tasks and responsibilities ruling us, we tend to push the things that can improve our well-being and help relieve that stress to the bottom of the priority list.
Here are reminders of a few of the things you should make an effort to prioritize in the midst of your chaotic schedule:
1. Reading for pleasure
So many friends of mine—friends who used to be total bookworms in high school, who hailed Barnes & Noble as a sacred palace—have complained that they just don’t have time anymore to indulge in a good book, and how sad it makes them. Reading is a great hobby and books have the power to carry us out of our real-life issues and stresses if only for a little while. If it’s something you love to do, you should try to set a little time aside for it each week.
2. Talking to a counselor
If you find yourself really struggling with everything that’s on your plate and you feel your mental and emotional state deteriorating because of it, take the time to get the help you need. Talking to a counselor about what you’re going through can really help to take some of the burden off, and you’ll be able to approach all the things you need to do with a clearer head if you set up regular appointments.
3. Quality time with friends
Sometimes the only therapy you need is spending time with the people who know everything about you and love you anyway, the ones who just get you. You can laugh with them for hours, and even when you’re not doing much of anything, you can still make great memories. Not to mention, chances are many of your friends are going through the same hecticness as you, and you know you can count on each other to help navigate it.
4. Making sure you are physically healthy
College students are notorious for hoping their medical concerns are not serious issues and will take care of themselves. But if you really feel like something might be wrong with your health, you should always try to go and get it checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.
5. Walking
Going for a walk improves every aspect of your health. It gives you a chance to clear your mind, and to really slow down for a while and take in the world around you—the sounds, the fresh air, the stillness. Just doing one lap around your campus once a day can work wonders. Not to mention, you will lose weight if you stick to it.
