Q: Hey Mama, I feel overwhelmed by the amount of things I’m caught up in. I feel like I’m stretching myself too thin between hours of school work, an internship, a couple jobs and trying to remember to eat (well). I’ve tried going to fitness/ yoga classes but I get stressed out once I’m done and back to reality. What keeps you sane and works for you regarding commitments and well-being?

A: Okay either you’re one of my friends calling me out right now or we’re twins in stress, haha. Here’s my main list of things that keep me going:
Get a planner. A physical one you carry around. I divide mine into 2 sections: things I must do that day (homework assignments, shopping, laundry, etc.) and schedule by time. Check things off as you do them.
Forgiver yourself if you didn’t get everything done. Sometimes stuff falls through and that’s ok. Move on.
You WILL make sacrifices. Decide what those are. For me, I’ve sacrificed my social life- I used to see friends everyday, now it’s more like twice a week. I used to play video games 15 hours a week, now it’s more like 5.
Give yourself rest days. I always give myself one FULL day a week where I do nothing. I go to the gym, watch movies, relax alone or with friends. I leave the planner at home and forget about responsibilities for a while.
Never stop striving for more. A better job, more education, etc. Otherwise I struggle to see the point in pushing so hard.

Good luck, we’ll both need it, haha! Happy dead/finals week!