What To Do When School Has Taken Over Your Life

Hey, guys. I'm back today with some, hopefully, helpful advice on what to do if school has just become too much. I know the feeling, and I know it can weigh heavily on you mentally and physically if you're up doing homework until the crack of dawn, or you have so many extracurricular activities that you think your head might explode, or you're taking 18 hours and don't know what sleep is anymore. I am here to help.

What To Do When School Has Taken Over Your Life

1) Step back

Take a second, step back, and look at what all you have going on. You've got class, you've got after school activities, you've got homework, work, a social life, and sleep. All of these things are good and important, but you might have to sacrifice something in order to keep you from becoming a zombie. If you have after school activities, make a list of them in order of what you like the most, to what you like the least. Look at the one or two at the bottom of the list and think about whether you really enjoy it or not, but also, if you really have time for it. If the answer to both is no, take it off the list.

2) Plan ahead

If I did not have a planner, I think I'd actually lose my mind. It's so helpful for planning big projects, tests, and events in advance so I definitely have time for them and don't have to worry about forgetting them. As soon as you get an assignment, either write it in your planner, or set a reminder on your phone later to write it in your planner. It also helps to color code your classes and use only that one colored pen/pencil for that one class. Plan as much as you can in advance so you don't run the risk of forgetting an important deadline.

3) Make time for hobbies

Life can be stressful. Duh. So it's really important that you make time for the things you enjoy and that relax you. For example, I like to watch movies, paint, and read. I make time for those things so I don't get too stressed out and go into overdrive. Having something you enjoy doing can make doing work a little easier. It gives you something to look forward to and it motivates you to get stuff done.

4) Don't be alone all the time

This one used to be difficult for me. I'm naturally an introvert, and at any time, I can shut down and not want to be with people anymore. I'd hang out by myself, go shopping by myself, walk around campus by myself. It was nice at first, but then it was happening all the time. I learned that while it's good to be able to hang out with yourself, it can get very lonely and you can become very sad, very quickly. Make time for friends so that you can relax, have fun, and maybe vent a little bit about what's stressing you out. It'll help put your stress and problems in perspective, also. Sometimes, once you say something out loud, you'll realize that it's not too big of a deal, or there's a solution you just didn't think of. Trust me, it helps.

5)  Sleep

This one is slightly obvious. If you don't sleep, life will be 10x more difficult. You will be tired. You will be grumpy. You will get very emotional very quickly. You will damage your overall health. Also, not sleeping makes school even harder. It just does. So make time for sleep. Period. 

Hope this helped! 

Love, Hannah