There is a specific kind of exhaustion that doesn’t come from physically doing too much, but from thinking too much. The type of exhaustion students face emotionally, especially during high school. An exhaustion rooted in overthinking and stress. As a young student myself, I’ve found management regarding my own stress to be difficult at first; however, as I approach my IGCSE year, I have come across various methods and techniques to maintain and exemplify a positive attitude- and that is what I am writing this article about, a concept I came across called… emotional hygiene!
Something that many students often fall into the rhythm of doing is viewing their overthinking as a flaw, something that hinders and prevents them from reaching their full potential – an obstacle. However, I believe that overthinking should be viewed as a system rather than an obstacle. Systems require routine, maintenance, and effort to continually run (similarly to us!), and once you find out the routine and type of maintenance that works for you, you will be happier and more productive! I find that today, we live in an era where overthinking is correlated with emotional intelligence, where second-guessing is a frequent aspect of our lives, and being ‘too self-aware’ is associated with being observant; however, this is of course, a flawed observation. Naturally, it’s exhausting to require your brain to mentally filter through every single interaction and moment you take in through an imaginary sieve, so the real question is: how do you maintain this system, and how do you even start? That’s where emotional hygiene finally comes into play.
I’m sure you have all heard of the basic- often repeated- ideas which are hurled at us when in a slump, both physically or mentally; practise breathing exercises, take a walk, have a conversation about it with someone you trust… and so on. However, it’s finding your preferred method of unwinding and then sticking to it consistently that is the tricky part.
When mentioning the term ‘consistency’, I’m not talking about the repetition of the obvious routine that students try to instill once they find a method that works for them. It’s the ability to remain consistent in actively recognizing and addressing your anxiety. The concept of consistency not being practiced in the activity itself, but rather in how frequently you decide to act upon actually giving the time to focus on your anxiety. This is what’s key to calming these raging habits you may all uphold now that you are older. Think of consistency as one of the main aspects of emotional hygiene; by maintaining a consistent mindset, focusing on when you need to step back and letting your mind rest, you’re allowing yourself to get into the habit of self-discovery and self-regulation. Self-regulation is something I’ve found myself doing a lot more frequently as I’ve gone through high school, and simultaneously finding that it’s a great skill to have when faced with difficulties both emotionally and academically. In high school, you often find yourself swamped with numerous tasks and drowned in revision, so adding the concept of emotional hygiene is a great tool to add to your belt!
Overthinking is not a flaw, but rather as something that requires maintenance- just as your body requires frequent health checkups, so does your mind. Keep in consideration that consistency comes with constant care and practice, so never feel inclined to give up or think of yourself as incompetent if you do not see immediate improvement- remember that emotional hygiene comes with time and patience. This patience is required not only in the processes you will take on but also within yourself. Once students allow themselves to finally become transparent and more open about when they require help, alongside actually addressing it, improvements will come naturally, and life both in high school and social life will become more enjoyable!
