Whether you’re on campus or off this semester, you’re probably cooped up inside due to Zoom meetings for much of the day. Also, when going from class to club meetings to homework is just a matter of closing one tab and opening another, it’s really easy for all the parts of your day to blend together.
I’ve noticed myself feeling drained much more quickly lately because of this, so I wanted to share a few ideas for how to take breaks if you’ve been feeling the same!
Go outside
This seems obvious, but I’ve found that it can be so easy to get caught up in other things and forget. When your days are busy or you don’t have long breaks in between classes, it can be stressful trying to plan a good time to go for a walk or do an outdoor workout. I recommend getting a bit of fresh air every day, even if you only have time to walk down the street and back! I promise even just a few minutes outside can be a game-changer.
Cook something
If you’re like me at all, the word “cook” is subject to a very loose interpretation. For me, this tip usually means something extremely simple like making homemade frozen yogurt. Even just taking a few extra minutes to put together your favorite snack is a great way to show yourself some kindness on your super busy days!
Stretch
When you’re sitting at a desk all day, there’s no doubt that you’ve probably got some tight muscles! A lot of times, we barely even notice because we are so used to it, or we’ll feel like something is off but we can’t quite put our finger on it. Stretching and rolling out your muscles on a daily basis is genuinely life-changing. Again, just like going outside, it’s totally fine if the most you can manage is just a couple of minutes a day.
Listen to music
Blasting your favorite music and dancing around your room is a great way to let off some steam when you’re feeling stressed! It can also be a good way to get in a tiny bit of physical activity when you might be feeling too overwhelmed to carve out time for structured exercise 🙂
Journal
Sometimes, when I’m feeling really stressed about my to-do list, I like to jot down in my journal what exactly is making me feel this way. Is there some unlikely “worst case scenario” that keeps playing anxiously in my head, keeping me from actually buckling down and getting things done? I’ve found that sometimes, just getting it out of my head and onto paper can be enough to let me move past these thoughts and go back into my work with greater focus.
I hope you’ve found a few of these tips helpful! It can be difficult to make sure we’re caring for ourselves, especially when we seem physically attached to our computers now more than ever. But it’s important to take at least a couple minutes out of each day to check in with ourselves.
