Classes, friends, extracurriculars… crazy y más crazy
As I write this, I’m sitting inside on a beautiful sunny day; 75 degrees with a gentle breeze. Such is life during the school year. After missing the first week of school to stay in Saratoga until Travers Day, I finally feel (sort of) caught up. But I can sense the winds of chaos blowing in as my school activities get rolling and the first exams linger in the not so distant future.
I wish I could say I’ve mastered the grind of college classes, competing on the NDSU hunt seat equestrian team, volunteering with church, 4-H, traveling and finding time in there for family, friends, my horses and keeping up with the latest horse racing industry news… but I can’t say I have. Maybe I’ll catch on by the end of my senior year, just in time to graduate and move on to the next adventure.
However, I have picked up a few “sanity maintenance” tricks over the years that I’d like to share. You might find them helpful, regardless of whether you’re a fellow student, have a professional career or whatever, plus I’ve thrown in a couple fun photos. Not gonna lie, these tips are pretty obvious and self-explanatory (basically scream generic), but are often overlooked, so I’m sharing them anyway!
- Pace yourself. As much as I wish I could go to class, study, ride my horses, attend a meeting, work out and hang out with friends in a single day, it can’t always happen. One of the greatest pieces of advice one of my mentors gave me was that nothing in life can be forced. Set goals, make a list, but don’t be disappointed if you can’t check it all off. I often mistakenly determine how good or bad of a day I had based on how much I accomplished. It’s not always just about getting things done.
- Sleep. I’m an early riser, so I also go to bed early. I don’t pull all-nighters, nor do I recommend it. When I start mentally unraveling or become too stressed out, I try and finish one or two small things and then take a nap or go to bed. It helps me reset my brain.
- Relax. Go for a walk, drink some tea, read a book, whatever floats your boat.
- Minimize social media. Lets face it, you will gain absolutely nothing from going on Facebook for 30 minutes. Those are 30 minutes of your life that you can NEVER. GET. BACK. I’m not pointing fingers because I’m guilty of scrolling social media several times a day. But less is more, I promise.
- Exercise. I’m not going to preach the health benefits, we all know. Just do it, even if you don’t want to. Hear that whispering sound? That’s your jogging shoes beckoning you to go outside.
Annise's Anecdotes 