Lately, school has been difficult. With all the online readings and assignments, it can be tough trying to manage everything at once. But one thing that has completely thrown everything for a loop is the start of the new winter semester. Navigating a new semester has always been tricky, even during times when COVID-19 wasn’t an issue. Reviewing syllabi and starting to learn brand new content takes some time to get used to. That’s why it’s super easy to start to feel disconnected from yourself while starting a new semester. Your time and effort have to be devoted to school in order to start off the semester strong, and this leads to less time focusing on yourself and how you feel. Feeling disconnected from yourself and your thoughts can be troubling and impact your everyday life. Here are a couple of tips on how to stay connected with yourself so that you’re able to succeed to the absolute best of your ability.
Meditation
Mediation is a great way to wind down and really focus on your body, as well as your thoughts and feelings. It can allow you to ease your mind, stop thinking about the stress of school and really get you in tune with yourself and how you feel. Even meditating for 15 minutes every day can help you to destress. In the long run, frequent meditation is a great way to keep connected to yourself.
Staying Healthy
Another way to stay connected with yourself while navigating your studies is by keeping your body healthy. From personal experiences, having a healthy body can also help with having a healthy mind! Some of the best ways to stay healthy is by exercising and eating nutritious foods. Drinking lots of water throughout the day can also help to make you feel awake and energized. All in all, keeping a healthy body will allow you to feel super productive while managing the stresses of new courses.
Do Something Rewarding for Yourself
At the end of the day, it’s a great idea to reward yourself for all your hard work. Some great ways to wind down are by doing a face mask or having a bubble bath. You can also opt to read a nice book or watch one of your favourite shows. Listening to music and relaxing is also a great way to reward yourself. Doing any of these allows you to destress and stop thinking about school and what needs to be done. This way, you’re able to relax and reconnect with yourself after a long day of becoming disconnected. Long term, doing something small every day for yourself really helps in terms of positive mental health.
It’s easy to start to become disconnected from yourself while managing a new semester. You can feel really overwhelmed and stressed out about all the new tasks that you’re required to complete. But taking a little time out of your busy day to reconnect is important and will help with the quality of your schoolwork in the future. Remember that taking care of yourself is important in order to succeed, and by doing so, you’re able to feel great about yourself. Please take care of yourself, even if there are days when you don’t want to.