We all have our moments where it feels like the whole world is going to end and you have no idea what to do. For me, that is right now! May as a high school junior is no joke: SAT, AP exams, finals, prom, performances, end of year events, and the list goes on. Some days feel so overwhelming where I can’t help but crash out. If you feel the same way, don’t worry, you are not alone. While I am not an expert at calming my crash outs, I thought I would share a few little tips on how to tame your crash outs, or at least recover from a rough week!

Just start by taking a deep breath; it’s hard to get enough done when you don’t take a few seconds to yourself to breathe. Sometimes I like to take 15 minutes to myself to do something I enjoy whether it’s sitting on the floor of my room listening to music, dancing, watching a show, whatever it may be, do it. 

Once you have successfully calmed yourself down, write a listen of everything you have to get done. This can be very overwhelming, but I find it is helpful to visually see everything you have to get done in front of you rather than it all just floating around in your head. Just remind yourself that you can get through this week or month, whatever it may be. 

Then, I like to start with something easy and quick on my to-do list. For example, if I know I have finished half of an assignment already and I only need 15 more minutes of work on it, I will start with that. This way, you get to check something off your to-do list to get you started. 

If you haven’t tried the pomodoro method, I definitely recommend it. Do your work for 25 minutes and then take either a short break or a long break. I find this is helpful when I have a really long assignment that is hard to break up into chunks. If I put on the timer, I will power out work for those 25 minutes and then take the break so I don’t get even more overwhelmed. 

Try to prioritize your to-do list if it’s too overwhelming. If there is something that you have to get done by tomorrow, do it earlier and save the thing that is due in a week for later. 

Sometimes switching up my work space is also helpful. If you can, go to a cafe or the library, or some place that is not your desk in your room. 

Honestly, so much of recovering from a crash out is confidence. Believing that you can actually finish your to-do list is half of the work. The other half is just being able to start. Once you do the first thing on your list you will get into a momentum. 

There is no perfect science to not freaking out over a stressful week, but just take care of yourself and minimize the stress load you take on. Get it done!

If you want tips more specifically on managing stress, click here!

Till next Sunday, 

Daisy