The past few weeks have honestly been nonstop. The new semester just started, bringing with it Calculus II which is kicking my ass. I also just started an additional tutoring position at my college. Waitressing has been a bit maddening, too, with the holiday season keeping us all on our toes. To top it all off, I've been trying to figure out a change of major at the U for next fall so I can have a degree from the college of liberal arts. Of course, I love all the things I'm doing but it can easily become overwhelming. I found myself utterly shutting down this past week following hours of math and chemistry problem sets. I had no choice but taking a few moments to myself, narrowly avoiding total power down mode. In honor of my recharge moment, I decided to give you all a few ideas for when you're in need of your own.
Movie Night In: Have a favorite series or movie that you've been meaning to enjoy again? Maybe you love thrillers or rom-coms more than anything in this world? This is your chance to sit back, relax, and just mindlessly enjoy some good filmography.
Reading: Not to say this is a great time to pick up A Tale of Two Cities but there's always a few easy reads at hand. Personally, I'm in love with the whole dystopian young adult novel fad. Usually, I'll kick back with a new nonfiction but recharging begs for mindless reading days.
Get Outside: Sometimes studying is just impossible to get out of but a temporary recharge can be as easy as a change of scenery. I'd recommend a park or even your backyard but if the weather just isn't having it, you can always jump to the library, a coffee house, or just a new nook by one of your classes.
Sleep In, Take a Nap, Snuggle a Pet: Recharging is a great excuse for a few extra hours under the covers in any form you may like. It's easy to relax when wrapped in a nice, cozy comforter.
Make a New Playlist: I love finding new music to enjoy and I especially love when I can put it in a sparkling new playlist that matches what I need. Maybe an energizing study playlist or some new songs to work out to. Maybe you've been really anxious lately and something that's calming could be beneficial. Honestly, the options are endless.
Revisit an Old Hobby: Remember that thing you did all the time when you were younger but kind of just ran out of time for? Well here's your opportunity to pick it back up. I used to always scrapbook when I was younger but I guess you would say "life got in the way". Now I have some things set aside for those days I just need to unwind and when I get the chance, I immediately pull out the old books and papers and get to work. Your hobby could be writing, piano, singing, baking, coming up with new outfits, running, or any other option from the list of infinite possibility.
OR Pick Up a New Hobby: Not interested in the old? This can be a chance to remind you why you love learning things. I personally love Coursera and Memrise apps to learn new things from a language to coding for the website you want to build. If you want something a bit more basic, you can check out some of the clubs in your area to gain some expertise in things like painting or knitting. Even if you utterly don’t want to leave the house, there's so many videos on YouTube you can reference that will teach anything you can think of. Whatever new skill it is you want, there's plenty of options to dive into.
Sure, life can get stressful and that can definitely make things overwhelming at times but you can do this! Taking a step back to decompress will let you get back on track for any endeavors you have. Giving your mind just a few extra moments to catch its breath can yield epic results. And yes, we may not always have that extra time to take a breather but watching your productivity skyrocket following the break can sometimes be worth making time.
