5 Ways to Start the School Year in a Great Mental State

Oftentimes, a huge part of stress is feeling underprepared and unorganized. Avoid this by getting a planner (or starting a bullet journal!), or putting together an organized system in place so you can stay on top of everything you have going on, and all of your school work! This is also a great idea if you have a job and are going to school full time – it’s super easy to get overwhelmed, and consequently your mental health will suffer, which is what we don’t want to happen!

If you’ve followed my blog for a while now, you know that I throw this tip in whenever I can. I truly believe you feel so much better when you get plenty of rest. Your brain is more awake, your body feels better, and your overall health is better both short and longterm. Anyone who knows me can attest to how much I love my sleep – whenever I can, I get in a quick nap and I’m seriously transformed into a new person. I really cannot function on less than seven hours, which is bad since I sometimes don’t get a lot of sleep during the night, but I remedy this by taking naps! If you can’t get a full eight hours of sleep, try your hardest to take naps throughout the day!

We all have interests and things we love doing, so make sure to actually make time to do them! If you have a favorite tv show, carve out an hour to watch it during the day, or read a book while you eat breakfast. I help keep my mind at ease by working out everyday, and reading during meals when I can. Of course I love to slip in episodes of New Girl, Criminal Minds, or Game of Thrones of course when it’s finally on. Keep up with this, though, to give your brain a break! Having fun is also important, so break up those study sessions with something you love doing.

Keeping up with friends can be hard in college, especially if you’re living off campus after freshman year, because you all aren’t next door neighbors anymore. Try and hang out with people who make you laugh so you can just relax and not worry about anything but taking the newest Harry Pottter/GOT/Disney quiz from Buzzfeed. Alternatively, you can also study with them or do homework, so you’re getting work done and having fun.

REI is really moving in the right direction with their “Opt Outside” movement on Black Friday: it’s important to get outside and get some fresh air every once in a while. Go on a hike with friends, go for a walk, or just sit outside and do homework. I find I feel a lot better after being outside for a little bit, and my head feels a lot clearer. Hiking is also one of my favorite things to do, so I always feel better after I’ve spent a couple of hours getting out of the city.