It’s important in our busy, hustle-driven culture to think about all the things we should be saying no to. When our schedules fill up, we lose sight of what is important and end up becoming overwhelmed and burned out. There are always going to be things you have to do — work commitments, prioritizing your mental and physical health, studying for exams. These aren’t going away anytime soon and in fact, you will have these (although they will look different in each season) throughout your life.
But how do you figure out what to say yes to outside of your “have to’s”? How can we build in activities to say yes to, to help prevent that overwhelm and burnout? One way to help, is to ask yourself the question “what brings me life?” What helps you to feel more energized or more alive or more full of joy? Say yes to those things. Because, yes, scrolling on social media might feel like you are “taking a break”, but often times we can end up feeling more drained after we are done (and possibly wasting more time than we planned on spending without getting the benefits of feeling refreshed after).
What helps you to feel more energized or more alive or more full of joy? Say yes to those things.
Start a list of these activities on your phone (or on good old fashioned paper!) and refer back to this when you need to build in some rest or just need a reset in your week!
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Spend time in nature
- Invite a friend to coffee
- Have coffee by yourself
- Take a nap
- Anything without a screen
- Take a hot bath or shower
- Go for a run or a good workout
- Plan out your meals for the week
- Go to bed early
- Take a walk in a beautiful part of campus
- Take one whole hour to produce nothing
- Bake cookies
- Deliver those cookies to a friend
- Go out for a fun night with friends
- Read a book that is not required for school (check out your city’s local library for some free options)
- Grab some popcorn and watch a movie with your roommates
- Go out to dinner
- Stretch when you wake up or before bed
- Make your bed or clean your room
- Declutter your closet or your desk
- Take some time to journal
Try some of these out, or these and add your own! Always say yes to the things that leave you feeling refreshed and energized after.
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