Returning to school after spring break can be a challenge. Your mind is still stuck on beach days or long mid-day naps but you’re sitting in classes, gearing up for the final stretch of the spring semester. After having a week off of school it can be hard to add the extra responsibilities back into your schedule. It may have even been a challenge to balance work, school, and free time before break. Whatever the case, The Nevada Sagebrush is here to help.
This is News You Can Use with a guide to time management
Change your Mindset
The first thing to realize when it comes to time management is that you are not changing time, there’s always 24 hours in a day. Instead, you are changing behavior. Start paying attention to the way you use your time, the times of day you are most productive, and the activities that take up most of your time. This will help you understand what problems you’re having with time management now, and start to understand how to fix them.
According to Psychology Today, it is also important to realize that the reasons people struggle with time management are much deeper than most realize. Psychological barriers and the general quality of the life you lead may have an effect on your productivity. When you are less than satisfied with your life it may cause you to not feel as though it is worthwhile to put in the effort to manage time and activities. Taking small steps to improve your relationships with others, as well as yourself, can actually help lead to success in school and work. This is something the university can help you with, offering free counseling services and tools to help you succeed.
How Can It Help?
According to a study done by Yael Shy in her new book “What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond,” stress has overtaken depression as the number one problem in students. In response to this, colleges are investing in new types of programs directly aimed at this problem.
Shy is actually the founder of MindfulNYU, the largest campus-wide meditation initiative in the country. UNR’s meditation rooms in the PSAC mirror the goals of this program on a smaller scale.
“Data shows that students who meditate experience less stress, greater well-being, and even higher GPA’s than their non-meditating counterparts,” Shy wrote in a press release.
In an interview Shy also spoke to why she believes meditation and mindfulness are so important to college-aged students. “This is usually a period of life when things are in flux and we are still figuring out who we are. Why do we form relationships in the way that we do? Why do we suffer in certain ways? How can we make a difference? Meditation can open up doors to understanding ourselves and give us the wisdom to understand the world at this time in life.”
How do I start?
The best way to start meditating? Just go for it! There is a misconception that you can only meditate in silence, or to the sounds of relaxing music and nature. While this is the most popular setting for people to meditate, it isn’t the only one. Yael Shy, who herself had these misconceptions about meditation, argues that the practice is much more about being aware of your thoughts, mindset, and the world around you.
“The biggest piece of advice I can give is to try and find the beauty and the vibrancy of life right in the middle of all the mayhem,” Shy said in an interview with Bad Yogi.
Check out Yael Shy’s newly released book, “What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond.”
Do you have any meditation or other stress-relieving tips or tricks? Share them with us @NevadaSagebrush.
