Sometimes adulting can be completely overwhelming. It might feel like it’s one thing after another and you just can’t catch a break. Believe me, I get it and I have been there too. It happens to the best of us! When life is feeling impossible the last thing you want to hear is “it gets better,” because it definitely doesn’t feel that way. So instead of telling you, I’m going to give you the tools that actually help you feel less overwhelm in college.
I’ll be honest, this isn’t a quick fix. It definitely takes practice to be able to stop the overwhelm in college but I fully believe you can do it too! Whether you’re overwhelmed with school, money, or your social life – I recommend you follow these tips to help you feel better. No matter how cliche they seem, they work!
How to Stop Feelings of Overwhelm in College
Take Care Of Yourself
I am a firm believer in taking time to practice self care. There are so many things you can do to take care of yourself! Lately, I have found that reading has been a great escape from my worries. There’s something about being able to throw yourself into the world that the book creates that gives you a break from your own problems. Get some quiet time and focus on making sure you’re in a good place mentally. Some other favorites are face masks and dancing to fun music.
Prioritize & Organize
One of the main contributors to being overwhelmed for me is being disorganized. When you feel like you have too much on your plate and not enough time in a day, you will immediately feel overwhelmed. Take some time to prioritize specific tasks and organize your time. This will help you avoid overwhelm in college.
Consider what can be done quickly and do those things first. When you knock tasks off your to-do list and get stuff done you get motivated to do even more. Also think about what needs to be done sooner rather than later. Prioritize more urgent tasks so you don’t feel overwhelmed at the last minute. Remember to take it one step at a time so you don’t find yourself dreading your entire to-do list
Exercise
Moving your body, even for just 20 minutes releases endorphins and increases your mood. By exercising a little each day, you can stop the feelings of overwhelm and actually feel even better! When I first heard this, I thought it was a ploy to get me exercising more, however after consistently moving my body each day I find myself more relaxed and ready to tackle big tasks. Prioritizing exercise my senior year significantly decreased the amount of overwhelm in college that I felt.
Take A Break (Or Nap)
Sometimes overwhelm can stem from burnout or exhaustion. The best thing to do when you are feeling extremely tired is to step away from the tasks at hand. I know that taking a break might seem like it would cause you more stressed since it is technically taking time away from your to do list. But I promise that by taking a break or even a nap, you can come back refreshed and ready to tackle the world (or a few tasks lol)!
Clean
I find that when I am stressed and overwhelmed I am best distracted by cleaning. When my physical space is clean, my mental space feels more clear. Try giving your dorm room a good cleaning and see if that contributes to feeling less overwhelmed for you.
Journal
My absolute favorite trick to stopping overwhelm as a young adult is to journal. Not only do I journal every morning as a preventative measure, but I also journal every time I start to feel stressed or overwhelmed. Journaling is a great way to see how you are really feeling. You can also explore where these feelings are coming from. Once you have been journaling for a while, you will even begin to better understand yourself and stop these feelings immediately.
Pray
As a woman of faith, I find that praying helps me to feel less overwhelmed. I can rest better knowing that I am not in control of what happens. By giving up control, I know that stressing about things doesn’t do me any good. This can be as easy as saying “Lord, I give my worries to you” as soon as I start to feel overwhelm creeping in.
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