Catching My Breath

Hey everyone!
No, I'm not about to sing you a Kelly Clarkson song...sorry.
I just felt the need to post about this because I have been catching myself saying to people "Once I make it to this date, I can breathe again" or "I'm holding my breath until this day." Those are such terrible things to say...it means that I'm not enjoying my life that I've been blessed to have. So, let me catch my breath real quick before we dive deeper into this post.
Lately I've been kind of just going through the motions, meeting deadline after deadline, attending activity after activity. Many of these "obligations" have actually been super fun, I just need to remind myself to seize the moment instead of just moving on to the next thing. I'm going to be real for a minute. College is hard. It's hard to balance social life, academics, and other responsibilities without feeling like you're going crazy. Some days I dive in head first and have a blast; others, I just do what I have to...I don't take a moment to "smell the roses," and that's when I run into trouble. On those days, one text message asking me to do something or reminding me of something can make me go straight into panic mode...over literally nothing. On days when I embrace everything, I'm much more at ease and am less flustered. My attitude seems to make all the difference. So, if you have/and are having a busy few weeks, months, or if you just have a busy life, this is for you. Here are some possibly flawed, but rather thoughtful words of advice on how to deal with a busy day/week, etc.

Take a Deep Breath
I'm not talking about full out yoga. If you can do that, great...I know that I cannot. I'm just talking about those deep in through the nose, out through the mouth type of breaths our parents made us take when we were uncontrollably upset as children. (At least my parents did). I'm not totally sure why, but deep breaths help a lot...they're rather relaxing. I think it might have something to do with oxygen to the brain and blood flow...but that's beside the point. Just take a deep breath...it WILL make a difference.

Make Time for Yourself
This is so important. I'm an extrovert, but I still need my alone time, whether it's taking a long shower, a nap, watching a movie, or just hanging out by yourself. Alone time keeps me from going crazy. If you live in a dorm like I do, this could be difficult...take a walk by yourself (not in the dark), put in your headphones, whatever...just allow yourself to be.

Know when You've Reached Your Limit
You can't be everyone's everything all the time. Even the most involved of people have to draw the line somewhere. If you know that you cannot do something due to time or you just are not feeling it, don't be afraid to say so...your friends will understand. Everyone has their limits of what they can and cannot do and it's important to find yours, otherwise you will go crazy, and you will begin doing things half-heartedly. If I know I can't give something 100%, I don't sign up for it. That's hard, but necessary for sanity purposes.

Eat 
This might seem obvious, but it's not. Oftentimes when people (myself included) get super busy and overwhelmed, they either forget to eat or eat poorly. This is just not good for your health. In order to stay healthy, you MUST eat...and I'm not talking about oreos and ice cream...that doesn't count. Make time to eat; it's another time for you to relax and recharge.

Sleep
This one goes out the window as soon as obligations start piling up. DON'T LET IT. Sleep is so important for human functioning. When you feel drained, go to sleep...don't stay up until ungodly hours of the morning just because you think you HAVE TO GET THIS DONE. It can wait.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week and I hope this helps. I'm going to finish catching my breath and will have to continuously remind myself to quit "holding my breath." Enjoy life, live it to the fullest, live life passionately, it only happens once. Love you all!

Yours Truly,
Steph