Did Fall Quarter and Winter Break fly by us or is it just me? Suddenly, it’s time to come back to UCI and the academic grind. It’s tough to dive right into this new year and quarter, so here are 4 ways to get yourself feeling more refreshed and ready.
- Declutter your ~digital~ space
-
If your email inbox is reaching such a ridiculously high number that it’s low-key stressing you out (I’m guilty of this for sure), it’s time to cut it down. Delete unnecessary mail, unsubscribe from old mailing lists and mark things as read. If you don’t have an email problem like me, you could get rid of apps you don’t use on your smartphone, scroll through your photos and delete what you don’t need or organize your Google Drive a bit.
- Declutter your ~physical~ space
-
After the break, I came back to a desk with a mountain of junk and a wall above it with decorations falling off. Clearly, this was not an inspiring setting to jump into Week 1 with. So I put on some music and got busy putting things away and redecorating my space. You could also do things like, say, finally washing those bedsheets, going around your room collecting trash or things you don’t need and giving dusty or dirty surfaces a quick wipe-down.
- Look back on the past year
-
It’s easy to rush into thinking all about what you want for this brand new year without feeling like you were even able to process all the craziness that happened in the past 12 months. You might find it helpful to take time, maybe just a few minutes, to reflect on the milestones, good moments and painful memories of the last year if you can. If you’re the journaling type, you could write them out. I think it’s nice to recognize your growth so you can be proud that you made it to this new year and to also recognize short-comings in order to avoid the same mistakes.
- Take one baby step towards your New Year’s resolution
-
If you have a big, vague resolution in mind, it can seem hard to even start. Making a small change to your daily routine can ease you into making the whole New Year New Me cliche a reality. For example, if you want to be more active, you can try this: Instead of using the elevator, take the stairs. Instead of lying down and watching YouTube, do a plank and watch YouTube. This way, you’ll have a little accomplishment under your belt each day and go through with your promises to yourself.