“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons” — Jim Bishop
The start of September brings a completely different feel to our lives. With a new month and a new season, it’s easy to get caught up in everyday routines. It’s also very easy to get lost in the process of partying with your friends, late night studying and those countless bowls of ramen and take-out. We get it, but with the start of a new month, it’s also a perfect time to help break those habits and focus on yourself. It’s time to start something new and establish a fresh protocol for this coming school year. Here you’ll find a pretty snazzy list of five simple things to make this month, semester and season feel like a complete breeze!
1. Start fresh every morning.
It doesn’t matter if you failed your English exam the day before. It doesn’t matter if you spent all week being a completely unproductive couch potato, watching Netflix. It doesn’t matter if you ate McDonalds for lunch. And dinner. And maybe possibly breakfast, too? (Hey, it happens). With each morning and day, brings a new sense of renewal and fresh beginning. The day before and even the week before won’t matter five years from now. If you let past troubles hinder the path of your future, you risk losing opportunities and good fortunes. You are here now, so make the most of it by taking a deep breath, relaxing and living a meaningful day. So wake up feeling like you can conquer this world, hop in the shower and get ready to #GirlBoss your way through the day.
2. Read, Write, Create.
This planet is home to almost seven and a half billion people, and yes, I did mean to say a billion, not a million. The equatorial diameter of this planet is roughly 7,926 miles. By some strange reason, call it spirituality or science, you are able to breathe and survive on Earth. You’re able to live on this vast planet and be one of its inhabitants. Look at everything around you. A computer, maybe, or a cell phone, a table, a chair, even a cup of coffee. Humans have been creating art and objects since the dawn of time, and it’s so important to forge things into this world. So maybe you aren’t Picasso, that’s not the point. Whether you like to paint, knit, craft or make music, get out today and let your creative juices flow free. Creating something new every week or maybe each day can help clear your mind and ready yourself for your next mental task (or any for that matter)!
3. Take Breaks - A Lot of Them.
Pulling all-nighters is pretty much inevitable during school, especially during the end of the semester, but goofing off the entire semester and trying to catch up during the last week of school probably isn’t the best idea. The University of Illinois completed a 2011 study proving that taking a break from work once every hour increased students' levels of overall work productivity. Taking small, frequent breaks let us come back to the task at hand with a renewed force and unwavering concentration. So whether your idea of a break is doing a quick yoga sequence or laying down on your back for 15 minutes, make sure you squeeze in these interludes. These breaks can help make you feel recharged and ready to tackle any undertaking that may lie ahead of you, a difference that will become all too noticeable as the semester continues.
4. Eat (And Drink) Healthy.
Tired of feeling tired? Yep, we feel you on that. Eating junk food is actually prone to make you more tired-- that is, more tired than your college student self already is. A healthy diet improves your quality of living, plus helps you be more focused and attentive to schoolwork. So now might be a good idea to cut down on those fries and shakes. It can be daunting trying to fit all those glasses of water, not too mention the servings of veggies and fruit into one single day. After all, there are only 24 hours in a day, am I right? Healthy eating can change your life, so it is important to make time to eat and to eat right. Try setting up a specific schedule of when to eat some of these essential foods. Allow at least 20 minutes in the morning to refuel yourself from your sleep and set yourself up for the day. A glass of water and a nutritious breakfast can help pave the way for that day’s success. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can even bring a water bottle with you to get all those eight glasses in by the end of the day (and simultaneously cut out soda and energy drinks). Just be sure to eat and drink healthily throughout each day.
5. Spend Some Time Alone Each Day.
College life can be a complete whirlwind (and hurricane) of activities. Through your practically never-ending list of classes, your sorority life, various school clubs, the nights spent at the clubs and your irritating professors, life can get a little insane. All these obligations can feel incredibly limiting and suffocating. Seeking out solitude is a good way to destress yourself and counteract the overwhelming feelings you may have. Entering your twenties is a time where you can experience things you weren’t able to come across before in your teens. During your solitude, you’ll be able to become more dependent by making decisions purely on your own. You’ll also learn more about yourself. Whether it’s just a few minutes in between classes, or it’s a whole night in by yourself, learn to love seclusion.
So, the new month and semester may bring a flurry of activities and a change of routines, but it also brings a potential for evolving and the possibility of new found habits. Starting fresh every day can help switch out that negativity that may have been running rampant through your mind. Not to mention, creating something new every so often can help clear your mind and ready you for the coming week’s hustle and bustle. And of course, taking frequent breaks from work, as well as eating and drinking water throughout the day can help make you shine like the star you know you are! You’ll be surprised at how much change can come from just five little things. So grab those chunky knit sweaters, lace up those fall booties and get ready for September— It’s going to be a fabulous month.
