There are three things that are certain in life; death, taxes and stress. You probably weren’t stressing about death or taxes before you opened this article so if you are now…sorry buddy.
Stress happens to everyone and if you’re in college, you’re probably experiencing your own special type of stress. You’re around twenty years old. You have at least one job and you got no sleep last night because you were dividing your time between Tumblr and that paper that was due this morning. It’s okay, I’m not judging you. I am you.
You and I are still young, yet becoming aware of our impending adult hood. We’re starting to have back pain. We make our own doctor appointments. Have you cried this past week because you felt like you didn’t know what you were doing in life? Me too. We’re all in this together.
Sometimes we feel like there’s just so much to do. Things feel out of our control and we lose faith in ourselves. I know that’s when I usually shut down and just pretend nothing exists. That’s okay because sometimes you gotta shut the rest of the world out for awhile. Other times I use a gift I have bestowed on me from the Gods, Procrastination. As you’ve probably heard by now procrastination is a great outlet for creativity and not always a bad thing. Here’s how I procrastinate productively and hopefully it can help you de-stress too.
1. Clean your Space
I’ve come to realize I’m a stress cleaner. I love to clean, especially when I’m supposed to be doing something else. Having a lot of clutter on your desk or workspace can make your mind feel cluttered. You’re not going to get a lot of work done like that. Take a moment to organize all the papers and books cramming up your space.
Throw away old receipts or flyers to that campus event you didn’t even go to. Maybe light a candle. Put some inspirational/fun posters and notes up where you can see them. This is what the wall above my desk looks like.
2. Rearrange your space
Okay, my second favorite thing right behind stress cleaning is rearranging my space. Every three to four months I suddenly have the urge to switch the entire layout of my room. Everything from the season to the space I’m working in has an effect on where I place things. It’s kinda like my own version of Feng Shui. The flow of my room gets a makeover and I feel recharged and excited to be in my space. Moving furniture around also makes for a nice little work out that reinforces the feeling of accomplishing something.
3. Craft!
Last year I became so overwhelmed with schoolwork that it felt like I had nothing just for myself. I wanted a project to do on the side that would be fun and relaxing, so I picked up cross-stitching. A year later I am no better than when I first started but it gave me something to do just for me that had no deadline, wouldn’t be critiqued or graded and makes me feel accomplished. Find something that you can turn to when things get overwhelming. Side note; being active with your hands is a great way to de-stress.
4. Make Lists
To be honest, I was not a list person until recently. If you suffer from stress or anxiety like me, at some point you’ve probably been told, “just make a list”. Yeah, but see, my lists would get super existential. It would start off innocently enough: do homework, go to meeting, do laundry. Then it would spiral into the impossible: be happy, get your life together, look for that dream job. I was setting myself up for failure. Apparently though, successful people use lists. They key is to keep them realistic. So I started making lists of just the things I needed to get done that day and it’s been wonderful. Get yourself a cute notepad and write down only what has to be done that day. It will be so satisfying to throw away a fully checked off list at the end of the day.
5. Go outside
Get some fresh air, go see your friends, vent a little bit. Call your mom, you can cry to her. Change your setting and give your brain a rest.
Your mental heath is not worth that assignment. The relationships with people who love you are just as important as an essay on Reconstruction in the American South.
Sometimes being around other people holds the exact inspiration and motivation you need to get your work done too. So text your best friend, go grab some coffee and never feel guilty about taking care of yourself.
