Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School

Popular searches:

Independent University Newspaper

Copenhagen Business School

It’s the Little Things That Matter: 4 Key Habits to Help You Thrive

Blog |   17. Jun 2020

Natalie Mierswa

Blogger

Starting a new chapter can be exciting, whether it’s a new semester at University, the first day at a new job or even a new partner. It can also be a bit of a whirlwind, and getting swept up in it can mean that some things in life fall by the wayside.

For me, my daily routine suffered. Whether I was going back to university after the holidays, or starting a new internship, I let all my good habits and small rituals just slip away.

At first it didn’t really matter, but little by little I started to feel less like myself until one day, I just felt completely detached from who I was. I thought that those little things didn’t matter, but actually they were what kept me grounded the most. So if you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, or despondent and detached from your life but can’t figure out why, then keep reading.

Hopefully my tips can get you started on reconnecting with yourself.

Keep it fresh, switch it up

Just because you work the same hours, day in, day out, doesn’t mean that the rest of your life needs to follow that same pattern! It can be as simple as taking a different route to work or visiting a new part of town on a day off. It might not seem like much, but it can make life feel a little less routine and more spontaneous.

Who knows, you might even start finding new places you never knew existed but want to keep coming back to. 

Treat yourself regularly

If a friend were feeling low because of a conflict with their boss, or just suffering from the winter blues, we’d get them a coffee or their favourite pastry from a local bakery to cheer them up next time we saw them, right?

Well, we should treat ourselves in the same way! Often when we get caught up in our personal lives, selfcare is one of the first things to get left behind. I completely underestimated the power of a homemade hot chocolate (made with fancy cocoa powder I got as a present), candles and enjoying a good movie under a blanket until recently.

Now, I’ve made it a regular ritual. Not only do I wake up happy the next day, but I feel so much more productive, too. So please, whether it’s a cinnamon roll with extra icing from an expensive bakery that you walk past every day, or a bunch of flowers from a local market, just do it!

You deserve it, on a good or bad day.

When in doubt, walk it out

I learnt the power of this little trick from someone very close to me. Whenever I let my emotions get the better of me to the point where I could do nothing but sit and let my thoughts run laps around my brain, he’d take me out for a walk. At first, I thought it was stupid.

How could walking around my neighbourhood possibly change anything? Surely it’s just a waste of time. Yet somehow, every time I got back home, I couldn’t even really remember what I was so upset about, or why, and could start going about my day again.

It helps to have someone walking alongside you to chat with, but going it alone is still effective, too.

GIF - walking legs

Listen to yourself, beat the FOMO

In the modern age, where it has become normal to show everyone what meal you’re having, with whom, and at which trendy new place in town, we can often fall into the trap of doing things ‘because it looks good on my feed’ and not because we actually want to do them.

Maybe you were super excited about a birthday party you’ve been invited to, or having drinks at a cool bar before heading to Nexus, but now that the day has arrived, you just don’t want to go anymore.

Yet, you still feel obligated to go because staying at home sounds boring or lame or you don’t want to know your friends are having fun without you.

Believe me, I’ve fallen into this trap many, many times. I’ve gone out for a big meal with friends even though I was anxious about how much money I’d spent that month, or attended a party because everyone I knew was going and had been talking about it for weeks.

FOMO or ‘fear of missing out’ is very real and it makes us do things that we, deep down, don’t actually want to do. In my opinion, it’s not a healthy mindset to be in and it’s really not helpful for your wellbeing in the long run.

The way to combat this feeling is to listen to yourself, and what YOU really want. And not only that; but also not be ashamed of what you want.

The ups and downs of ordinary life happen in between the plans we make with others. Wanting a quiet night in after an unexpectedly long day, or time to yourself to reflect on some bad feedback you’ve received from university or work, or even not wanting to go out because of a storm are all examples of perfectly valid reasons to cancel plans and spend time on your own.

I’ve taken my exchange semester in Denmark as a chance to implement this, and it’s really done wonders for my mood and keeping myself balanced.

Sometimes I’ll have plans almost every single day of the week that I’m excited about, other times I’ll cancel those plans because I’m not feeling up to being social. Your good friends will understand, but just remember to reschedule afterwards!

Combining all these tips together has made me happier and more productive than I have ever been before. But beyond that, it’s taught me self-acceptance, too.

There’s no point in pushing yourself to keep on working at something without taking a break. There’s no race to complete all your assignments or your to-do list, as long as you meet your deadlines. And there’s no sense in treating yourself worse than you treat your friends and family.

In fact, I believe that by taking better care of myself and spending more time being me and not who I feel I should be to be ‘cool’, I’m in a better position to be a good friend, colleague and partner.

So, I challenge you to incorporate at least one of my tips into your regular life and see what happens.

Comments

  1. Louise says:

    Hi Natalie,
    thanks for a super well written and inspiring article!

    It got me thinking about an article I read today called “Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure” from HBR. Check it out if you are interesting in a further perspective on recharging your battery 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

It’s the Little Things That Matter: 4 Key Habits to Help You Thriveby

  • News

    Layoffs break the crucial trust between organisation and employee

    CBS is laying off a number of employees soon, which will affect our university in different ways. When employees are fired without having done anything wrong, it shatters the trust between the organisation and employees, while also taking a toll on productivity, according to a CBS expert. Layoffs also affect the ‘survivors’, who are forced to adapt to a changed workload and the loss of cherished colleagues.

  • News

    Here to help – at the touch of a button and at Campus Desk

    Exam anxiety? Lost student card? I’ve wedged my car between a Fiat 500 and a lamp post, can you help? You never know what you’ll be asked next. But that’s just how the Campus Desk team like it. And if they can’t fix your problem, they’ll know someone who can. CBS WIRE asked the team about the whole range of topics they advice on every day.

  • News

    Why so sudden? The CBS financial crisis explained

    Employees and union representatives have posed many questions in the wake of the 17 August announcement of a firing round. In this interview, University Director Arnold Boon explains how Senior Management has been working with the budget and a change of financial strategy since the fall of 2022, and why layoffs are now necessary.

  • Illustration: Ida Eriksen

    News

    Here’s what you need to know about the master’s reform

    The political parties behind the master’s reform have adjusted their original proposal to shorten or reorganize up to 50 percent of master’s programmes after pressure from CBS and the other Danish universities. Fewer shortened master’s and longer to implement changes are some important revisions to the reform. CBS’ president is pleased that the government and other parties behind the reform have listened to some of the critique given by the universities but raises concern about cutting more study places in bachelor’s programmes.

  • News

    CBS Quiz Time: Unraveling the success story

    A successful university environment such as CBS is often associated with academic pursuits, but campus life extends far beyond the classroom. At CBS Quiz Time, a student society motivated by creative thinking and social engagement, students join in a refreshing range of creativity, excitement, and social interaction. CBS WIRE talked to Celine Møller-Andersen to find out about the society’s vision, strategies and the factors that are driving its rapid expansion.

  • Gif of the week
  • Blog

    Uncertain times: Essential for business schools to understand their market

    The alliance of European business schools met at CBS in June to enhance recruitment strategies, stay informed on industry trends, and analyse where the global economy is heading. The CBS MBA Programmes shares some key take-aways from Associate Dean and Professor Jesper Rangvid’s presentation.

  • News

    Working hard all summer: Bachelor Admissions

    The employees in charge of bachelor admissions at CBS are a small exclusive team. They ensure the validity of diplomas and the fulfilment of entry requirements for bachelor’s degrees at CBS – and, not least, that the applicants get the necessary help to upload the right documentation and find their way around the application procedures.

Follow CBS students studying abroad

CBS WIRE collaborates with Videnskab.dk

Stay connected

Close