One of the best pieces of advice I can give to anyone in university is to schedule time for yourself. Schedule it just like work or a class or study time. You don't answer emails, don't work on assignments, you don't do anything "productive". Ignore the work group chat. Ignore the class group me. This is time for you and only you. Not catch up time. Not study time. Nothing.
Won't I fall behind? This was super hard for me as a chronic workaholic. If I'm not busy doing something I feel like I'm going to fall so far behind. But since doing this, I've been so much better. My relationships with people have improved 100x. My attitude at work is amazing. My schoolwork is so much better and felt less stressful. My GPA went up like crazy. I socialize now. I've gotten healthy. My house is clean. I haven't killed a plant in a couple of months.
How does it work so well? I realized that pushing myself constantly and working all the time caused me to snap and burnout. And when I snapped I would try to get all those late night parties in. All those fun times I missed out on because I was busy. I wouldn't have energy to do anything. I would get sick for a whole week. But once I started taking me time seriously and doing it a couple nights a week, I stopped binging on parties and sweets and stopped getting sick. I started having more energy, more confidence, and more love. I became more pleasant to be around and much nicer to myself. I realized the world wouldn't end and I wouldn't fall behind for a taking a few hours for myself every week.
What should I do? Besides put your phone on silent and put the work away, that's up to you! It was very very hard for me at first, but now it's becoming second nature. I like to cook, take bubble baths, read, paint, do some embroidery, read poetry or various religious texts to my plants (I'm weird and believe they like to be read to and I absolutely love reading religious texts from different religions), or make candles! These are all activities outside of my productive activities like studying, taking a walk, cleaning, getting groceries, etc. I usually blast my music while doing some of these and just exist in my own little world for a couple of hours. I have learned that I am not what I produce for society, but what I do to nurture myself and society.
I encourage everyone who asks for advice to try to do this. And to schedule it in. Not just do it whenever. To have a set schedule for it. I encourage all you to do the same! Especially when life gets super busy and hectic!!!!!
