Work/ School Balance

With my big paper due in a week and a half, I took an extra day off this week. I ended up not having the best day because a migraine was triggered on Thursday night (I had a feeling I shouldn’t have gone to class that night). That meant not much sleep Thursday night due to my medication having a lot of caffeine and the extra caffeine I drank. I’m glad I didn’t work on Friday, though. I did get my car fixed and I read over 100 pages of the book I need to finish for my paper. So I did get some things done.

Here’s the thing: when I work 5 days a week, I end up spending half of Saturday napping, resting, procrastinating, etc. Well, doing this on Friday while also getting some reading done allowed me to focus more yesterday. I did run a few errands and get my hair cut, but I was able to concentrate better yesterday. Today, I’ve been doing my usual stuff—laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, taking out the trash, etc. —and finishing my reading for one class. I still have a lot more reading to do for my paper, and I’m going to finish one of the books while also working on another, make cupcakes, do critiques, and start some reading for my other class. So maybe my Friday wasn’t as wasted as I thought.

I did have a meeting with my dietitian yesterday, and I’ve been struggling with a part of my brain that knows I need a break, but another part is saying I need to get everything done. So who chimes in? My stomach. It’s telling me I’m hungry. So I stop studying to have a snack. Well, here’s the thing: the brain is a fantastic thing, and I think it’s using my stomach to tell me I need a break. Well, that makes me eat more. So my dietitian and I came up with a plan: take a five-minute walk when I get home, then take a twenty-minute planned break every day I don’t have school. I knew all of this, somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it. But I think hearing it from someone helped. Sometimes it’s easier to listen to someone you don’t know well than to listen to yourself and friends/family.

Now, I’m off to read The Art of Falling and many other things. Have a good week!