Those of us with high stress levels and darkened moods have heard this question a million times: “have you tried yoga?”
Yes, sure, we’ve tried it. Deep breathing, awkward contortions, find your center of balance, blah blah blah. But sometimes, when you’re feeling so heavy that getting out of bed is a struggle and you can’t find it in you to get food, let alone go to class, trying to find inner peace just is not going to happen. In addition, you’ll notice over time that your room may become a complete disaster area.
Surprisingly enough, this could be a contributing factor to one’s unwillingness to do anything productive. Your bedroom isn’t just the place you sleep, it’s the one place on campus or in your house that is well and truly your own. Your room is under your control. It’s your kingdom, your canvas, your very own little planet with which you can do what you wish. We have so few things at school that we can actively control. As a result, if your room is a mess, you may yourself feel that you are also a mess.
Although this isn’t true and you are most likely a wonderful and fantastic human being who is trying their best, sometimes the brain does not listen to logic and will think these things anyway. Thankfully this is a thought that can be remedied without even leaving your room! There are small steps which you can take to give the illusion of having your life together, which include:
1.Make sure your clothes end up in the laundry hamper.
This seems like a simple enough task, but there are days where it’s just easier to leave your clothes where you dropped them when you took them out. Don’t do that. Your hamper is probably only a few feet away, and dropping those pants in there will not only remind you to wash them later, but also prevent a huge mountain of clothes from forming under your bed. It also clears up visible space in your room, which will in turn give you space to breathe both physically and mentally.
2.Put away the school supplies you aren’t using.
Putting those textbooks from the beginning of the semester on a shelf instead of spreading them out across your desk will clear up even more much needed space. It may even give you enough room to roll out of bed and get to work on that project you may or may not have been putting off! Taking care of your desk space gets the ball rolling on your overall productivity – or at least gives you the illusion that you’ve been productive, which will improve your mood significantly.
3.Straighten out your comforter.
I’m not going to tell you to actually make your bed. It takes a lot of energy to fix your sheets, your pillows and their cases, AND your comforter. If you’re already sapped of the life force you need to function these last few weeks of the semester, the best thing you can do for your psyche is just cover up that top layer. This is the interior design equivalent of foundation, for your room. It makes a loud statement about having your life in order at a quick glance. Think about it: when people in movies get ready in the morning and somehow have the energy to do a billion things before leaving the house, isn’t making the bed on that list? And those people wind up with happily ever after’s! Even just looking like you have that kind of control can trick your mind into relaxing about the state of your realm. And who doesn’t like relaxing?
4.Sweep up the floor.
You might not see it right away, but humans shed. Just as much as animals. If you check your floor, you may be able to see all of the stray hairs and food crumbs that fall to the ground, and those hairs and crumbs cling to your socks. They follow you. Yes, this is a very small thing, and odds are you won’t be able to see it when you aren’t looking closely, but the very act of sweeping the room up will make you feel incredibly productive. Look how in control you are! Look at how clean you’re making your room! Only true masters of their lives have the capacity to bother sweeping up the floor, right?
At least, that’s what your brain is going to think when you’ve done all of this.
The human brain is its own worst enemy, at times. But the good news is that you can trick your own! Having a clean room can give you a sense of peace that is much needed at this hectic time of the semester. It gives you the illusion of productivity that may give you that little push you need to finish your work. Tidy your room, and you may find yourself to have tidied your mind as well.