Taking A Step Back Helps You Move Forward

-Sophie Williams, 15 years old, Student at Kent Place School

*Beep*

*Beep*

My alarm goes off at 7:30 am. The stress hits me immediately, reminding me of everything going on in my life.

I hit snooze because I don’t have to go anywhere and my eyes can barely stay open. 10 minutes later: *Beep*

The alarm goes off again.

Another reminder that my sleep is over along with my blissful break of serenity. This time, I have to force myself out of bed and crawl to my desk two feet away. Right away, I log onto a zoom call to start my work that will consume the next 8 hours of my life. Throughout the day this room serves as my dining hall, classroom, and bedroom all in one. I don’t know if it’s Thursday, Wednesday, or Monday, but I do know I have work to do.

Covid-19 had forced me and many others to fall into tedious slumps because of the repetition of our days and the limited number of things we could do. But this constant need to keep moving forward and work hard starts to embed itself in us because it is the only thing that keeps us from constant boredom.

We start to revolve around our work, therefore not checking in with ourselves. We become consumed by the tasks we are doing and the stress of a pandemic surrounding us.

To stop this from happening, it is key that we take time to pause,

*Take a deep breath*

And recenter ourselves.

When we take a step back from our work and everything that is happening in our lives right now, we can relax our minds.

When we finally get that break from the cloud of stress surrounding us, the mind can finally begin to think clearly and revive itself. By taking this step back from the struggle of work, tests, and health, we can do these tasks more effectively.

When you take this step to relax and rejuvenate through meditation, exercise, getting outside, or just by taking a deep breath, it allows you to move forward with a more clear mindset.

I found that by giving myself time to focus on myself and to decompress from the stress, I began to see what I needed to accomplish more clearly.

One certain exercise has opened my mind;

Gratitude.

Starting your day off by reminding yourself of what you are grateful for allows you to have a more positive and thoughtful perspective throughout the day. It also allows you to make sure that the first thought of the day is not a negative one; allowing you to get off on the right foot.

According to Sally Anne Carroll, a life and career coach based in Portland, Oregon, regularly practicing gratitude can have a profound impact on how we view and manage the stressors in the workplace and personal life (which are very closely tied now that we are all home).

By making small adjustments to step back now and then, we can push ourselves forward in a more beneficial way.

Now when I wake up the next morning, my alarm is not the constant reminder that my blissful sleep is over, but it is the reminder that a new day is starting, where I will balance my work and mental health equally.