We’ve all been there. Not having slept in 30 hours, working an eight-hour shift with two exams the next day and a paper due in two days. Circles under your eyes darker than the night, walking around like a total zombie, mind absent from your surroundings. In fact, many of us are far too familiar with this feeling.
It’s hard sometimes to slow down when everything in college moves so quickly.
The weeks fly by, there is always something you must be doing. There’s clubs, classes, homework, working your tedious part-time job for enough money to buy a $179 access code or getting those community service hours in.
I can’t even count the number of times I called my mom in tears my first semester in college from being worn down, stressed and frustrated. I had no idea how to manage my time, how to wind down, how to do anything besides constantly be on the go.
It seemed every time I sat down to watch Netflix, read a book for pleasure instead of a class or take a nap, I just felt so guilty and overwhelmed knowing there was probably something else I could be doing.
I went through this exhausting cycle of no sleep, too much stress, awful eating and being worn down one too many times.
One day, my mom gave me the most important piece of advice that I have learned in college thus far, “Take care of yourself, listen to what your body needs.”
These things that us college students are doing, can’t be done well or at all if we are worn down and detached.
You are the most important person in the result of your college success. Once I realized the full effect that this was taking on both my physical and mental health, I made a lot of changes to have “me time.”
The first step in all this was to get a planner so I could clearly see my days laid out so I could see where in there I could fit time for myself. I came to realize I had a lot of small gaps in the middle of my days, so I would start studying or doing homework in those times to make more time to sleep at night.
I found time to go to the gym or go running, to stay healthy and to feel good about myself.
Sometimes I’d leave a Saturday night open to go spoil myself by getting my nails done or to watch a movie and enjoy my leisure time. As far as mental clarity goes, find something you love.
For me, I discovered hot yoga is an important part of my week and it’s something I really look forward to doing and keeps me very sane and happy.
To me, learning to take care of yourself and give yourself time to relax and be happy is the most important lesson I have learned in two years of college. I came to realize there is nothing admirable about working yourself into a state of exhaustion and unhealthiness.
It’s okay to go to bed early instead of ruinously studying sometimes, it’s okay to take a step back and focus on you and your health. You’ll thank yourself for it now and in the long run.