Already Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s How I’m Getting Through It

Even though school only started two weeks ago, I’m already feeling pretty overwhelmed. I’m not sure whether it’s a third-year thing, or whether I just signed up for a lot of hard classes, but I’ve had a ton of work to do. Because of this, I’ve started to feel stressed and burnt out after days of working. Thankfully, I’ve picked up a couple strategies to help me stay positive and recharge.

1. Stay calm

Even though large amounts of work can be intimidating, staying calm makes such a difference. I’ve found that when I freak out about the amount of work I have or an upcoming deadline, it becomes so much harder to focus and get things done.  Over the past week, I’ve had to do a lot of work in a short period of time. But no matter how hard it seemed, I always managed to get everything done in time. Keeping in mind that I will be able to finish and do well has been really allowing me to stay positive and keep working hard. 2)   Time off is key No matter how much work I have, taking time off to rejuvenate has been so important. Last night, I was feeling super physically and mentally exhausted because I had spent a couple days working and going to events non-stop. So, even though I still had lots of work, I took the night off and hung out with my partner. I made sure that during this time I wasn’t thinking about work or school, and was focused on having fun and relaxing. 

Now, even though I still have to complete that work, I’m feeling a lot more capable and energized. Time-off doesn’t need to be spending time with another person also— I’ve found that taking time to watch a TV show or read a book alone is equally rejuvenating. 3)   Get enough sleep Even though I have a lot of work, I’ve been super insistent on getting eight hours of sleep per night, and this has been keeping me happy and healthy. I always try to remember that there are very few situations where you can’t stop your work, go to bed, and finish it tomorrow. Plus, if I get enough sleep, I'll be able to work so much more productively, and I'll be looking after my physical and mental health in the long-term. 

  4)   Be realistic   It's also important to remember that you can’t take on too much. Once I realized that I had a really heavy course-load this year, I decided to cut back on some of my extracurricular activities. Even though it’s a sad decision to make, prioritizing your health and happiness is super important, and I’m glad I made the choice to make my schedule less stressful.  At the end of the day, no matter how much work school is, I’m super happy to be back. Here’s to another great year!