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Assignments, Internships, and Existential Crises: Tips to Stay Sane as A College Student

Assignments, Internships, and Existential Crises: Tips to Stay Sane as A College Student

School is hard. No matter what you’re studying, deadlines, work, and dealing with petty roommate drama add up to be a balancing act that even time management pros struggle with. Are you over coloring books and bubble baths? Here are some new self-care tips to keep you going this semester.

#1 SOCIAL MEDIA SHUTDOWN

Face it, not everyone needs to know what you’re doing every second of the day. More importantly, you don’t need to know what everyone is doing right now either. Cutting down your app use has proven to increase productivity and positivity. A trick is to turn off your notifications — You’ll be surprised with how much time you have when you aren’t checking who liked your photo every 2 seconds. I’ve turned off my notifications for everything except for DMs… I can always check everything else later when I’m finished working. 

#2 AROMATHERAPY

Not everyone has the funds nor the time for a spa day, but who says you can’t create the same calming atmosphere at home? Squeezing a few drops of lavender essential oil into my scent diffuser equals full comfort mode and is the highlight of my bedtime hour. Other soothing essential oils to keep in your stress relief toolkit are scents like lemon, bergamot, and jasmine. Aromatherapy, whether with oil diffusers or even scented hand creams is a low cost and low effort method to calm your nerves without having to take a trip to your local spa.

#3 JOURNALING

College is the time where you’re expected to make friends and connections, learn a lot, become independent, get job offers, find yourself… all while having some sort of fun along the way. It’s surely a lot to process and often makes for a brain overload! Having a form of creative expression is an enjoyable way to release your thoughts and jot them on something tangible. It’s also proven to help you sleep better: Keep a journal next to your bed to write all of your thoughts and to-do tasks down for the next day so you aren’t up all night thinking of what you need to do tomorrow.

#4 EMBRACE JOMO

Are you a victim of FOMO? Let me introduce you to something called JOMO: The JOY of missing out. Ok, I know, not as catchy of an acronym. But there’s no denying that saying no to that plan you didn’t really want to go to anyway is a glorious feeling. Wouldn’t you rather binge Queer Eye with a bowl of cereal? No matter how extroverted or busy you are, setting aside time to relax and focus on yourself for at least an hour each day is essential to your mental health. Try to schedule in *me time* as an appointment on your weekly calendar so you feel obligated to keep that time sacred. You owe it to yourself to take a break from socializing from time to time — There will always be another time to make an appearance.

#5 CLEAN

Personally, I’ve never been the neatest person, but even I’ve found that cleaning is both constructive and calming during times of stress. Doing chores like folding fresh laundry is a weekly ritual for me and gives me time to slow down and focus on one thing at a time. Next time you don’t feel like working on your SOC 101 essay, try tidying up your workspace or bedroom as a method of productive procrastination. Remember: a clean room really is a clear mind!

by Bianca Ocampo
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