Yes, let me tell you now, school is going to get stressful and tough and overwhelming, expect that. But through the ups and downs of it all, you have to remember that you need to remember yourself. Sometimes, it is easy to get wound up in school work or extracurricular. You have this to do, or finish that, or go to this meeting. Yes, of course all of that is important, but so are you. It is crucial to take time out to take care of yourself, mentally and physically.
School work can become extremely stressful, especially when it comes to get around exam periods. Try to figure out ways that work for you to put in time for yourself. Whether it be a well-deserved nap every once in a while, a stroll around the park, grabbing coffee or lunch, buy yourself a bath bomb and take a soothing bath, jam out to your favorite tunes, watch two or three episodes of The Office (just make sure not to binge watch and get to the last episode because you’ll just be sad), or anything that makes you feel better, give yourself a break. It is important to study and do well, but it is also important to take care of yourself during the school year.
If you find yourself overwhelmed with things, pause. Talk to someone, do not bottle everything up. There is always someone there to listen to you, help you figure out something that you’re struggling with, help you manage your time, or simply just be a shoulder to lean on. When the going gets super tough or even a little, reach out to someone.
Remember that thing you used to love to do? It may be playing a sport or painting or just going out around town with your friend. Make time in your schedule for you to do something you enjoy that will get your mind off of the madness of schoolwork for a few hours. It is important for you to take breaks because you are not a machine, you cannot keep endlessly studying.
“But wait, there are not enough hours in a day for me to do something I enjoy!! Time is precious!” Yes, time is super precious, but everything will get done eventually. Sit down and plan accordingly, write down what you have to do and when it needs to be done by. It is hard sometimes to manage your time but that is one of the biggest things you learn along your journey through college.
Things usually tend to work out in the end, whatever it may be. But you still have to make sure that along the way of it all, you took care of your mental and physical health. It is not the easiest thing to do, but we have to be aware of it and try to take care of ourselves in any way possible because stuffing your head in school work and problems all day will not help. It is important to take time throughout the week to do something for you.
