Simple ways to reset, heal and show up as your real self

Have you ever looked up halfway through the semester and realize you’ve been running on fumes?
Grades are slipping, sleep schedule is gone and your social battery desperately needs a recharge. It can feel like failure slowly trying to make its debut. The possibility of “starting over” creeps in, and it doesn’t feel good.

Here’s something to consider: starting over is not failure. It’s a necessary reset. Your mind and body are telling you something needs to shift. And the goal isn’t to “figure it all out,” you just need to notice what is not working and take one small step to adjust.

The responsibilities of college can make some students feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. Showing up as your real self, even when you are unsure, can be the most powerful thing you do this semester.

Does it have to be dramatic? Nope. Sometimes it is choosing to be still for a moment, without guilt. Other times it may be a simple “no,” without explaining yourself. It may be the perfect opportunity to have a “Mirror Moment,” with a few classmates or just taking a moment with yourself. But what’s a Mirror Moment?

Mirror Moment

A short pause intended for students to check in with themselves or their with their fellow classmates … not to fix anything but to notice what’s going on in their internal world, and choose one small way to reset.

Below you will find a few suggestions for students to create their own “Mirror Moment” for themselves, and with fellow classmates. Feel free to make adjustments wherever you see fit.

Approximate time: 10 minutes

Materials (optional): Notebook or journal, pen

MIRROR MOMENT REFLECTION PROMPTS

• What area of your life needs a reset right now?
• Where are you pretending to have it together?
• If you weren’t afraid of starting over, what would you try again?
• How does your hustle sometimes block your healing?
• What is one truth you have been avoiding that deserves your attention?
• What is one small restart you could give yourself this week?

MIRROR MOMENT CAMPUS EXERCISES

Individual Mirror Moment: Students may take 10 minutes before class to write down one thing they want to reset this week. Keep it visible in your notebook. Schedule a 10-minute self-care break during the week. Use it to stretch, meditate or just breathe. Write down one truth about your semester experience and commit to showing up authentically for it.

Group Mirror Moment with classmates. Students may share a small restart they are trying and cheer each other on. Students can choose to team up with a classmate for a “real talk check-in.” This will give students the opportunity to safely share what is actually going on in their world, no judgment.

Moments like this will create space dedicated to brainstorming ways to support each other’s authentic presence on campus, self reflection and a moment of rest.

Your semester does not have to be perfect. It only has to be yours. Show up unapologetically, reset when needed, heal as you go and be honest with yourself. That is how you make it count.