The amount of times I’ve been told that I have a busy schedule and that I must be so stressed out is too many to count. I honestly never even thought about how I maintain a busy schedule and good grades. Until recently, I realized I was using my scheduling and distracting myself as a coping mechanism. 

Ever since 8th grade, I was always extremely unmotivated. I didn’t want to do work and I didn’t want to go to school. Basically it stayed this way for 2 years, until I got into therapy and realized that there are healthy coping mechanisms that work to motivate you, you just have to find the right ones for you. The following are ones that helped me.

I was always extremely organized, as it kept me balanced. Even as a kid nothing could be in the wrong place. No matter how bad my mental health got, my room was cleaned. It was relaxing and made me feel put together even though I was a wreck. It took no actual thinking and it was just a simple task I liked. I am very fortunate for this trait, and it made my parents happy too as my room was clean no matter what. This is the most consistent coping mechanism; cleaning.

My second most successful mechanism was keeping myself busy. I say I look forward to everything getting done, but when it does, I get an hour of satisfaction then I want to continue working. It distracts me from thoughts or other activities I don’t want to do, because in theory I’m still being productive. I end up doing extra credit like this article, as I said it’s still productive. This does tend to be broken around breaks like Christmas or winter break, as I get out of my groove and get back into bad coping mechanisms. But after a few weeks I would get back into the flow of things. This is my most used coping mechanism; productiveness.

This next one is more productive during summer, as I have more free will. Though this one took some time to develop, as it originated with my father wanting a schedule of my week so he knew when he needed to drive me places. It stuck once I started; as I didn’t feel as cluttered and I knew exactly what I should be doing when. This keeps me productive when I have nothing to do. For example, during summer planning hikes or picnics with my friends around when I have to work and do summer reading, makes my life so much easier and smoother. This was my most recently developed coping mechanism; scheduling and routine.

Last and my most stressed one, is A HOBBY. I personally play volleyball, run track, hike with friends, and paint/ draw in my free time. These are all things that bring me joy. Once in a blue moon I’ll try other things like piano, guitar, bracelet making, baking, or even journaling. None of them really stuck except for the main four. Obviously everyone has their niche, but just find something that you enjoy and do a little bit of that everyday. It seems stupid and tedious at first but I promise this will help.

Obviously, none of these happen overnight. And there are so many other mechanisms to fit your needs, these are just some of the ones I really enjoy and work best for me. It takes time to develop, depending on your brain’s development and your personality. I hated scheduling and now it keeps me sane. The conclusion of this is to try new things that might help and to keep an open mind, you never know what will happen.

If you have a coping mechanism you would recommend or you tried any of these, email me and let me know how it went. [email protected]