Start Small

Feeling Overwhelmed?

We all have hopes and dreams at the start of a new semester. Aspirations to be well rested, to make it to spin class more days of the week than not and to surely not be cramming for those chem exams at the last minute like you did last semester (you’re not the only one). But how do we actually become the person we want to be?

After the start of the semester, when midterms and org meetings and weekend trips start to take over, it can be easy to believe we will never actually get it all together. That we are destined to always be late and overwhelmed and feel behind. And yet when we look around, we see everyone else doing exactly the same thing. Everyone is overbooked, running from one thing to the next and losing out on sleep to cram it all in.

We won’t change completely overnight or with one New Year’s resolution, but a great place to start is by developing a morning routine. It can seem insignificant, but those first few minutes of your day can set you up for success (and less striving) if you spend them intentionally. 

After the start of the semester, when midterms and club meetings and weekend trips start to take over, it can be easy to believe we will never actually get it all together. That we are destined to always be late and overwhelmed and feel behind.

A Few Simple Ideas to Build a Morning Routine

• Move your body.
  Getting in a full workout is great but even some simple stretches or a walk can go a long way to getting you on the right track for the day. 
• Drink water.
  Your body gets dehydrated overnight (even if you didn’t go out the night before). Make sure to drink a glass of water before heading to Starbucks for your morning latte. 
• Take 5 minutes to be quiet.
  Use this time to journal, set your intentions for the day, pray if that’s something you do, or just to be still and take some deep breaths — whatever feels natural to you. When else can you get silence in your day on a college campus?
• Avoid your phone.
  It’s tempting to reach for your phone, turn off your alarm and head straight to social media to see what you missed out on last night while you were studying. But the best mornings start without comparing yourself to others or being worried about what you missed out on the night before!
• Make a list.
  (Or even better — check one you wrote last night.) Whether it’s what you need to prioritize today, a list of things to make sure you take with you as you leave for the day, or just some affirmations to get you through, writing it down will ensure you don’t forget it as you begin another full day on campus.

Set your alarm 20 minutes earlier, don’t hit snooze and try some of these out to build a morning routine that works for you! It’s not going to change your life in a day, but these small things repeated over the course of a week or a semester will add up! If you try these and want more, check out 5 ways to simplify your college life right now.

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