Reassurance Through Exhaustion--College Edition
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For some reason, this semester at NKU has seemed rushed and incredibly stressful. I guess when it's rushed it does go by faster (which means SUMMER!), but constantly having projects and tests between classes and work--gets really old.
The weekends are great to catch up, but what if you work on the weekends? What if you visit your family? What if its crammed with homework? What if you just want to sleep? What if on Saturday you work, then you have to do homework, then Sunday you're cleaning and doing laundry? What if all of those things are happening at one time? When are you going to prepare meals? Or catch up on that one Netflix show? Or hang out with friends? Or get coffee?
The weekends are great to catch up, but what if you work on the weekends? What if you visit your family? What if its crammed with homework? What if you just want to sleep? What if on Saturday you work, then you have to do homework, then Sunday you're cleaning and doing laundry? What if all of those things are happening at one time? When are you going to prepare meals? Or catch up on that one Netflix show? Or hang out with friends? Or get coffee?
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I love reading, writing and painting, and if I don't have time for those hobbies, then my energy-tank goes from 100 to 0 real fast. And when my energy-tank is low, it affects many areas of my life, but especially work and school. It's like a vicious cycle. My hobbies (and spending times with the ones I love) help my mind flush from stress, negativity, worrying about drama (if there is any) and re-energize--both mind and body. Flushing your mind from these things helps with basically every aspect of your life. How you interact with others, your mood, how your body feels, how much full sleep you get, and even your skin will thank you!
But do you have somewhere to safely drain your mind of all of those stressful thoughts? What is your "get-a-way" place? Do you have a time to take a break and spend time with friends or family? Maybe you need to force yourself? Are you a workaholic?
For me, a lot of times I need to force the idea of homework and deadlines off of my mind (while having common sense about it💂), and simply make time to get my mind in gear. Waking up and praying to the Lord to give me a positive mind and love for other people changes my day dramatically than when I don't--which starts in my mind (Philippians 4:4-9). Making each day an opportunity to work out and keep my body healthy all starts with my mind, and if I don't readily think about preparing for those tasks, it probably won't happen--especially really early or really late classes/work days. Many times there are days, especially in college, where I just can't seem to work out and eat clean; but the days when I do, I sometimes have to "prepare" my mind the night before, and really go at the day with the ball rolling.
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See, I think the key to having reassurance through stress, school, work, and simply being exhausted starts with your mind.
There is truth in meditation, yoga, and--a not so frequently mentioned one--loving others.
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Below I have listed several steps to helping combat stress during semesters and business. Some of the steps may sound like hippy stuff, but hey--hippies are cool--do you want to be cool? None of them are in a preferred order and the list is pretty broad so hopefully one of them will match with you--or maybe this could be an opportunity to try something new!
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Below I have listed several steps to helping combat stress during semesters and business. Some of the steps may sound like hippy stuff, but hey--hippies are cool--do you want to be cool? None of them are in a preferred order and the list is pretty broad so hopefully one of them will match with you--or maybe this could be an opportunity to try something new!
Step 1: Pray, ask God to forgive you. To forgive your sins and what you've done--He can forgive all of it! We are not under law, but under God's grace, mercy, and love (Romans 6:14). If there is anything that can take foggy brain away, it's this!
Step 2: Forgive yourself.
Step 3: Take it day by day, focus, and breathe. (Refer to Step 1 & 2).
Step 4: Try to eat clean! And drink a lot of water!
Step 5: Make time to relax. What I mean by this is refreshing your mind. Have you ever stopped, breathed through your diaphragm, closed your eyes, and "deleted" all of the thoughts racing in your head? This doesn't mean a 20 minute nap in between classes. Even though that may be the only time you have to rest your eyes, that, to me, doesn't count as relaxing time. Your mind is still in the go-go-go mindset. I am a firm believer in yoga, or setting time aside to read Gods word, journal, and drink some orange juice or something. Whatever it is that can ease and calm your mind and thoughts for at least an evening, or a couple hours! Afterwards, your body may be tired, but your mind will be ready to conquer the day, and you will probably feel a whole lot less exhausted. 70% of my acne is from stress, and I don't need to look this up on scientific websites-- I just know.
Step 6: Take care of yourself and be gentle to your body. This sort of goes with Step 5, but when I'm stressed, I over eat, or eat basically everything I can lay my eyes on that's cheap. That being said, if I am stressed I will get some Chinese or go out to treat myself, or even stop everything and ask one of my friends for an emergency Chick-Fil-A run (talking about their day helps with stress!). However, overeating makes me feel groggy and disgusting. Take care of your body, don't gorge yourself.
Step 7: Remind yourself that its just a pimple, not the end of the world!
Step 8: Sing all the time! (Even if you're "bad")
Step 9: Talk with others. This was sort of mentioned in Step 6, but I love talking to people about their day. Maybe you're an introvert so this step is the complete opposite of how you deal with stress. But many times I head on over to the BCM** on campus and talk with my friends. Do you have a place on your campus where you meet up with friends to getaway and talk about your plans, stress, goodtimes/badtimes? Sometimes this involves crying, which is okay too, exhaustion does that. But if you don't have a core group of friends, I would highly suggest getting involved somewhere on campus to create friendships you can love on and share life with.
Step 10: Find something that doesn't involve technology, and do it when you're feeling exhausted! Do you like to do Sudoku puzzles in your spare time? Do you like to run? Do you like to do crafts that have no specific purpose? Do you like to hang out at coffee shops? Do you like to drive your car around, just listening to the radio? Do you people watch? Do you like to go to a park? Do you sit around with family? Do you make your favorite meal?
I'm sort of this firm believer in: "If you have spare time, don't watch Netflix." Not that I've never binge watched any shows, but I feel like all of that time isn't worth the fact of "finishing a show." But this sort of applies to all technology. Getting away from a screen is a lot more effective at conquering foggy brain than you think it might be.
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I know there are more than 10 steps to having a clear mind, but maybe doing--even one--of these steps will help you get through the semester, and be reassured that its going to be okay. Thanks guys,
-Courtney
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Step 6: Take care of yourself and be gentle to your body. This sort of goes with Step 5, but when I'm stressed, I over eat, or eat basically everything I can lay my eyes on that's cheap. That being said, if I am stressed I will get some Chinese or go out to treat myself, or even stop everything and ask one of my friends for an emergency Chick-Fil-A run (talking about their day helps with stress!). However, overeating makes me feel groggy and disgusting. Take care of your body, don't gorge yourself.
Step 7: Remind yourself that its just a pimple, not the end of the world!
Step 8: Sing all the time! (Even if you're "bad")
Step 9: Talk with others. This was sort of mentioned in Step 6, but I love talking to people about their day. Maybe you're an introvert so this step is the complete opposite of how you deal with stress. But many times I head on over to the BCM** on campus and talk with my friends. Do you have a place on your campus where you meet up with friends to getaway and talk about your plans, stress, goodtimes/badtimes? Sometimes this involves crying, which is okay too, exhaustion does that. But if you don't have a core group of friends, I would highly suggest getting involved somewhere on campus to create friendships you can love on and share life with.
Step 10: Find something that doesn't involve technology, and do it when you're feeling exhausted! Do you like to do Sudoku puzzles in your spare time? Do you like to run? Do you like to do crafts that have no specific purpose? Do you like to hang out at coffee shops? Do you like to drive your car around, just listening to the radio? Do you people watch? Do you like to go to a park? Do you sit around with family? Do you make your favorite meal?
I'm sort of this firm believer in: "If you have spare time, don't watch Netflix." Not that I've never binge watched any shows, but I feel like all of that time isn't worth the fact of "finishing a show." But this sort of applies to all technology. Getting away from a screen is a lot more effective at conquering foggy brain than you think it might be.
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I know there are more than 10 steps to having a clear mind, but maybe doing--even one--of these steps will help you get through the semester, and be reassured that its going to be okay. Thanks guys,
-Courtney
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*Picture not by me, found on Pinterest.
**BCM means Baptist Collegiate Ministry. The actual building says Baptist Student Center. Our friends call it The "B". But it's a safe place to hang out, study, pray, worship, and talk about everything!