If you’re anything like me you never stop working. Every moment of every day needs to be productive. You have a regimented schedule and you stick to it – squeezing every little thing into the smallest windows of “free time”. You’ve even come to define “free time” as those fifteen minutes you have to walk to your next class. Even when you sleep you want to be productive; listening to educational podcasts as you fall asleep and then waking up to immediately record your dreams to analyze them later. Time is valuable and if you can squeeze more things in, like that quick phone call to your pharmacy, you will. Sooner, rather than later, however, you are going to wear yourself out. Just reading that probably wore you out, right?
This action-packed regimen is either going to wear you down due to never stopping or you’re not going to know what to do with yourself when you do detour from your strict path. Either way, anxiety cannot be avoided. You are not a machine. You need variety; doing the same thing over and over again, i.e. class and work, is going to cause you to break down. Just like studying for a test, cramming isn’t going to get you anywhere and neither is studying for seven hours straight. This is essentially what you are doing when you are working all of the time.
Breaks are a good thing, they do not have to be seen as unproductive. Think of breaks as being productive for your mental health. Everything can be seen as productive in one way or another. The only cure is to slow down and make time for yourself; other than food, this is going to fuel and rejuvenate you. If you say, “I have no time for me-time! If I get off schedule, my groove will be disrupted and things just won’t get done!” Have no fear. Read on for a few tips on how to press pause on your workaholic life.
1. Actually Have Fun
This one’s not a joke. It’s okay to have fun – step off the beaten path and have no agenda. Go out for a drink with friends or go and see a movie (no, not a documentary or a film for a class). And if this seems too far from your routine life, think of fun as a productive thing – productive for your mental health.
2. Plan Some More
Schedule your schedule. Trust me on this one. Just like logging your food intake, you’ll find parts of the day that go unused. Even just ten minutes of meditation, a YouTube video of @midnight, or just blankly staring at walls will fit into these little hidden pockets. The key is to use these hidden gems of time for you-time, not to add more to your to-do list.
3. Listen to Music
Listen to music whenever you can! Music alters the mood. Rock out to some chill, soothing music to keep your anxiety at bay. Or just listen to whatever keeps you calm or in a happy mood – stuff that speaks to you.
4. Mindfulness
Pick an object. Focus on it for a minute or two. Notice every detail about it. When other thoughts (to-do lists, worries, reminders) creep into your mind, just push them away. This will make you focus on just one thing at a time and calm you down so you can get back to your busy schedule with a fresh mind.
5. Perspective
What is really important to you? You’ve only got one short life – are you going to live and enjoy it, or are you going to spend your time worrying and stressing about work?