The pen is…you get it

I’m almost certain my roommates are tired of hearing me come home every night and cry in my bedroom. Joking, joking, not joking. But really, if you are like me and you’ve filled your plate sky high, the burnout is coming! This time around I wanted to give you a run down of some self-care techniques that help me to de stress and combat the tears at night. (kidding, kidding, not kidding.)

Cry with your cohort

You know who is else is stressed and burning out? That person sitting right next to you that didn’t do the reading either! Grab a drink, write in the lounge, give yourself an hour or two to complain about the five page paper you haven’t started yet. They get it. They are under similar pressures. Some of my best ideas come from bouncing off my cohort. Some of my best laughs come from the people seated in that semi circle throughout the week.

Call your bae

Now I don’t mean call your significant other. Though we know that bae can certainly  be that cutie keeping you warm during those Chicago winters. B. A. E. Before anyone else. In simpler words…call your Person! (for all you Greys Anatomy fans you know). That person who will talk about anything but school, who makes even a 10 minute phone call lift your sprits. Mom, Dad, sister, brother, bestie, your pin pal Moe, get hem on the line.

Mediation

There is an awesome app called headspace that I’ve been trying to get into the habit of doing. It’s just 15 minutes of walking you through some deep breathing exercise. It allows you to let your thoughts come and go, and encourages self-reflection that is positive and promotes being kind to yourself. After, I feel so rejuvenated like I rested. I did it (did because I need to get back into it) at the start of my day and it allowed me to organize my thoughts. If you can’t spare 15 minutes do five. Taking even a moment to oneself helps to realign perspective.

You just got to say no

I AM SO BAD AT THIS. My life is full of so many wonderful people, who I love so damn much. Most weekends all I want to do is go out with them to the new bar and only order water because, yes, I’m broke. Dancing at Berlin you bet I want to do it. Dinner with my aunts, my second cousin, my friend from undergrad who just moved to the city? Um yeah! Oh you have an extra ticket to the Halsey concert? Sure. Date night with Bae? Uhum duh! In actuality the answer is usually no. This is hard for me, as my extrovert powers need recharging weekly. I say, “No, I can’t” and “I’m sorry” a lot. A month can go by without seeing someone, but the joy of finding the balance of work and life feels really good when you get your formula right.

Write for yourself

With working a job (or three), trying to finish this assignment and that paper can really prevent you from doing what you’re here to do: write! Do some writing for yourself. Write something you aren’t crafting to bring into workshop. Write a letter, journal, write a story just for you, for fun like you used to do back in the day.

Reading your work can also be a great stress relief

Take time out of your busy days to center yourself. It will help to provide clarity and focus so that you can tackle your demanding life and still have time to catch up on this season of Grey’s Anatomy. Which I’m penciling in tomorrow, hard deadline.