Midterm season just ended and I’m sure everyone’s feeling burnt out. Not to mention, the recent time change has probably put everyone in a slump. To combat this, let’s discuss some things to do when life’s going not-so-great and you want to turn your week around. First things first, self-care is so important. I have the “look good, feel good” mindset and I believe it truly works. Sometimes just doing my skincare and putting in some earrings makes me feel like I have accomplished something, thus giving me more motivation to be productive.
Next, remember that everything is okay. Time will pass, and things will get better. Whatever you’re stressed about right now probably won’t matter in a couple of weeks. Use this mindset as a reminder to take it easy on yourself and allow yourself to feel stressed. It’s completely normal to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing in life — no one does. It’s also completely normal for life to suck, but it doesn’t have to suck forever. Another thing that I like to do to make me feel better is to plan out my day. Planning out my day the night before helps me visualize my tasks and makes the next day seem less daunting. Even if I just write out what I want to eat for breakfast, or the classes I have to attend that day, it somehow relieves stress by knowing what’s to come.
Feeling stuck in a slump is not just about lack of productivity, it can be due to mental exhaustion. Life can get overwhelming, especially with school, work and extracurriculars. While stress will follow these things no matter what, we can change our mindset and learn to enjoy life’s chaotic ride. Most importantly, don’t let things bottle up. Oftentimes, when I’m really stressed, it’s because I have multiple incomplete tasks that have added up, which leads to me exploding. This is what we want to avoid. Try dealing with small tasks as they come. For example, if you have an assignment that you’ve been procrastinating, set aside 30 minutes to an hour each day to avoid feeling burnt out quickly. Time management is a hard task, but a useful one in helping you feel put together.
It’s been proven that creating and sticking to a routine can benefit productivity and even improve mental health. Repetition can help the brain feel put together and even motivated throughout the day. The classic routine involves making your bed every day, but sometimes that’s hard to do first thing in the morning. Just create a routine that works for you and try sticking by it for a couple of days, then a couple of weeks — and before you know it, you’ll feel like a brand new person!