LAST WEEK YOU PLANNED IT OUT, AND HERE WE ARE!

Reading week. You planned it out last week, and this week . . . 

Life being what it is, your plan may not be working out 100%. It may surprise you, but my first advice, whether you are completely on track or completely off track, is to plan one day or a half day just for you. Take a break from the stress and the pressure of academia. Let this be a midpoint reward for getting this far in the term. Maybe it’s a day where you do absolutely nothing. Or go to the spa. Or spend the whole day on self-care. Maybe it’s sleeping in. Maybe it’s a day trip. Or a trip to the museum. Or a whole afternoon of Pokémon. And there’s also special times with a partner, for some of you special time with the kids (remembering that part of that just-for-you day can also be a day away from those kids you love!). A time to savour in the doing, and to savour in the remembering.

Not 100% on track with your plans? Then my caution is to guard against the self-guilt trap. Be aware if you are starting to guilt yourself. And endorse for that awareness. That will help you pause and avoid the all-or-nothing trap. You can move from all-or-nothing to all-or-something. Pick something that you can move toward, and know that you are further ahead than if you just beat yourself up.

As you pause for thought, compare where you are this reading break with where you were last break. It usually takes one or two terms to fully transform the high school student into the adult student working from a base of greater independence. Any improvement is a measure that you are heading in the right direction. So you adapt, modify, and endorse for doing that.

Reading week. Make memories. Enjoy these good times the rest of this week, and check in when you get back to plan for March Madness. [email protected].

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS, PLEASE DIAL 911.