As the days get shorter and shorter and the deadlines seem to approach sooner and sooner, it can be hard to stay positive sometimes. Here are a few things which help me when I’m feeling a bit down.
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Call your mom (or dad or guardian of choice) Just being able to hear the voice of someone you love can really help you feel better. There is always someone in your life who is willing to be there for you when you need them and it is important to remember that they are there for you (and usually only a phone call or text away).
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Get Organized. Sometimes things might seem like they’re a bit too much to handle. By taking time to take a deep breath and get organized, you save yourself the stress of not knowing what needs to get done, what should get done, and what can wait until a later date. Whether getting organized means cleaning your space or writing out what you need to get done, it can really make the difference in differentiating between rational and irrational stress.
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Feeling the sun on your face. There’s something which is quite incomparable to being able to feel the warmth of the sun when you’re down. The vitamin D helps keep Seasonal Affective Disorder away. just spending some time outside can help you feel better (even if it’s a bit chilly out).
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Take time to spend with your friends and loved ones. Especially if you’re stressed, being able to be there for each other is essential to making it through tough times. Just being able to talk over what you’re facing together makes everything just a bit more manageable.
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Self Care. Self care doesn’t always look like eating that extra cupcake. Self-care means taking time to yourself when you need it and filling it with something which fills you up. For me, I love to journal and write out my thoughts. For other people, this sometimes takes the form of a nap, taking a brain break, listening to music, finishing up an assignment you really don’t want to do but know you should, or eating healthy. Find what makes you happy and is something healthy for you to be doing.
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Try to get active. Whether your definition of being active is taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking across campus instead of driving, or working out, push yourself to take care of you even when you feel like doing it the least.
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Take a second to breathe. Even if everything feels entirely too large to handle at the moment, taking a deep breath will help put things into perspective. Through whatever’s going on, you are living. You are breathing. You are alive and that is a very beautiful thing indeed.
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Listen to the little things. The crunch of the snow under your feet, the sound of water being absorbed by plants, the laughter of the people you love, music which makes you smile. These are all wonderful things which are so easy to ignore how wonderful they can be.
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This too shall pass. Regardless of what you’re experiencing, for the better or for the worse, it shall one day be gone. Try to enjoy what’s going on to the best of your ability. If you can’t, just remember that it won’t always be as it is at the moment. Everything will be alright eventually.