When things feel like they’re too much, how do you take the time to get yourself centered again? When you need to decompress, what do you find yourself turning to when you need to cope?

This last week hasn’t been the best for me, or any one of my friends for that matter. I spent all day last Sunday getting my intro/background/outline written for my law review note. After spending something like 9 hours writing and refining what I needed to, I threw in the towel and submitted it a few hours before the midnight deadline. I was annoyed and tired and it was good enough for the next round of edits, so I left it at that and called it a day. Things just got worse after that. After feeling like I was finally in a good rhythm in Business Organizations, Monday’s class felt like I was back at square one again. I love my professor, but that class is genuinely the hardest course I’ve ever taken. On Tuesday I had absolutely no energy to do anything. After doing some reading, I finally felt ready to go to the gym for the first time in a few days and that’s when a plane crashed into the airport, forcing me into a shelter-in-place order for six hours. Wednesday was just a continuation of Monday. On Thursday, we had our Student Bar Association meeting, which mostly resolved the ongoing (and completely unnecessary) drama we’d be having for months. I got back to my apartment, did some more studying, and then called it a night. I was finishing up my Stranger Things rewatch and I got a call from my roommate, Harrison, who needed me to pick him & a couple other of my friends up. It turns out that Harrison was driving downtown and got T-Boned by a car who ran a red light and totaled his car. Thankfully, no one was injured, but now Harrison lost the car he’s invested a lot of money and love into in a wreck that he was 0% at fault for to a driver that has no insurance. Hayden, my other roommate, started getting sick on Friday, and now he’s still down with the flu. To put a cherry on top of everything, Louisville lost to California in OT at home because Miller Moss doesn’t know how to throw a damn football and Oregon State lost to Sam Houston at home (an 0-8 team) because we’re just god awful. So, I’m justifiably not very happy right now.

Everyone hits that point in the semester where everything feels chaotic. Exams are creeping up, the holidays are getting closer, and the weather is turning awful. It’s easy to get swept up in it all and let the stress dictate your attitude. Life has a way of moving in cycles: some weeks you’re coasting, and others you’re holding things together with baling twine and prayers. The real question isn’t whether things get overwhelming; it’s how you respond when they do. Do you stay stuck in the frustration, or do you pause, reset, and find a way to move forward? After this week, I’m figuring out better what it looks like for me to get back up, and maybe you could learn the same. If you want to get your life back on track, I highly recommend starting by picking up a broom and a dustpan.

I love cleaning. Although I was a messy child growing up, there’s a part of me that has always loved the process of getting things tidy. When I was raising my fair steers, going through every once in a while and deep cleaning the barn was a great way to pass the time and also notice a tangible change in your environment. The same went for washing/blow drying my steers. When it was all said and done, they were cleaner and happier, and I felt that way too, even though I was covered in water, shampoo, and crap afterwards. That standard of cleanliness never extended to my room or anywhere in my parents’ house, but my affinity for cleaning inside grew when I went to undergrad. You see, in undergrad, I went through absolute hell living in a fraternity house and a liveout that hosted people 3+ times a week in century-old houses. Between the mold, beer cans lying everywhere, sticky floors, soaked tables, sinks chocked-full of dirty cups, and bathrooms so disgusting a heroin addict wouldn’t even go near, I learned really quickly that a clean environment was critical to my own sense of peace. So when I moved to Louisville, the relief I felt that I got to actually live in an environment that I could control was not taken for granted. And I have found that cleaning has been my source of calming myself down and getting focused again.

My weekly routine is pretty simple in my apartment. I like to start by gathering all of my clothes in the hamper and beginning a load of laundry in the washer. From there, I wipe down all of the counters with disinfectant wipes. I wash and scrub out the sink so it’s completely clean, then I move towards getting any crumbs of off the appliances. I clear off my tables, the couches, and put everything back where it needs to be. I wipe those surfaces down, scrub out any stains from the couch and then use my hand vacuum. After that, I sweep the entire apartment. I move to my room and wipe down my bathroom mirror, scrub my sink, and put back any clothes that need to be re-folded. I then mop most of my apartment and reset all of my Govee lights to new colors/patterns. I go through my backpack, make sure all of my things are in there, and reset my whiteboard where I write out my schedule and the things I have to do for the upcoming week. And finally, I put all of my devices on a charger so everything is working with a full battery when I wake up on Monday morning. And then, when my laundry is done, I put it away and start getting ready for bed. At the time of this post’s writing, my last load is in the dryer and my apartment is as clean as can be.

For me, my affinity with cleaning comes down to focusing on something I can control in a productive way. It’s actually a great dynamic with my current roommates. They don’t have to clean anything besides their own rooms and I enjoy the process of getting things back to where they need to be. It is a win-win in that regard. But more importantly, cleaning is an opportunity for me to actually sit back and think about things. I’m not on my phone and I’m not reading/studying. I can’t control what the rest of the semester looks like, what grades I’m going to get, or whether or not Louisville wins a damn game. But I do know that this process of sweeping, mopping, and wiping down will maximize my chances of being successful in the future by giving me the time to reset that I otherwise wouldn’t take. And as such, at the time of me writing this post, I feel a lot better about the next month then I did six hours ago. And I’m hopeful that it will continue that way.

When things are overwhelming for you, find something you can do to help you relax and calm down. But please take caution in what that activity is. Eating fast food, watching Instagram Reels, or smoking/drinking may be good in the moment, but those are NOT healthy coping mechanisms. When you don’t properly take care of yourself and maintain the upkeep your body and health deserve on a regular basis by properly resetting, you’ll feel as badly as the way the inside of a messy room looks: gross and scattered. So find healthy habits that calm you down and reset. For me, that’s cleaning and going to the gym. For you, that could be going to the park or going out for a run, or maybe a much needed Costco trip. But if you treat yourself like your messy environment, you’re only doing a disservice to yourself in the long run.

This last week may not have been the best, but after taking time to clean, slow down, and refocus, I feel more grounded than I did a few days ago. If you’re in a funk, think about what productive habits help you feel steady, something that clears your mind instead of cluttering it. Whatever you choose, make sure it gives you the space to properly breathe, think, and reset.

-Colby