As young women, we all tend to overreact to some very normal life problems. Whether our hair isn’t behaving or we have a huge zit on our face, our minds can wander into the danger zone of blowing the situation completely out of proportion.
There are a million things in this world that we shouldn’t worry about, but we do anyway. However, focusing on the positive things in life and not worrying about the little things is totally possible! Here are some of the most relevant worries we have and the best ways to calm yourself down when you’re freaking out about them.
1. You have “nothing to wear”
What’s going though your mind
There are 10 minutes before you have to leave for class, and you literally have nothing to wear. All of your clothes are too casual, too fancy, super unflattering, in the laundry (see #8) or just ugly. Everyone is going to be judging you by what you wear, and you want people to get the right impression of you.
The solution
Take a deep breath, throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and head out to class. The chance that every single kid in your 300-person econ lecture is going to think you’re a slob for wearing a simple outfit is miniscule. As long as you carry yourself well and look semi-put together, you’ll look great. We promise.
2. You’re having the worst hair day ever
What’s going though your mind
It’s the one day you need to look presentable, and your hair is doing everything you don’t want it to do. Your roots are greasy, your ends are dry and split, the baby hairs around your face won’t stay down and your strands won’t hold a curl for dear life. Your hair looks gross, and you’re contemplating just shaving it all off.
The solution
First, the inventors of dry shampoo should be awarded some sort of medal for their ingenious creation. It was made for days like this when your hair is just being uncooperative; it can be used to soak up unwanted grease from your roots and act as a volumizer. Also, there are a bazillion hairstyles that are perfect for bad hair days, like braids, buns and ponies (oh my!).
3. A guy isn’t texting you back
What’s going through your mind
It’s been, like, 20 minutes since you texted him, and he still hasn’t responded. What could he possibly be doing that he can’t take a 10-second break from to text you back? What if he thinks what you said was dumb or offensive or weird? What if he’s too busy making out with that girl you saw him talk to that one time in chemistry lab? Does he think you’re ugly?!
The solution
We can tell you with confidence that just because he isn’t texting you every second of every day doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you. Just because he got caught up playing 2K15 in his friend’s dorm room does not, we repeat, does NOT mean he’s lost interest in you. Look on the bright side: At least he has a life and doesn’t just sit around all day staring at his phone! That would make for a pretty boring dude.
4. You cheated on your diet
What’s going through your mind
Your gluten-free, no-sugar, 1,200-calories-per-day diet was going so well for the past three days until, oops, you couldn’t resist the cupcakes your RA was handing out during your hall meeting. You’re probably going to gain 25 pounds just from eating that cupcake, and your body is going to be so mad at you. You need to go to the gym and run until you can’t feel your legs anymore or eat literally nothing but carrot sticks for the next week to get back on track.
The solution
The point of a diet is to be healthy, not torture yourself! You should never feel ashamed for eating, no matter how strict of a “diet” you were supposedly on. We know this might sound crazy, but even the most fit and in-shape people indulge once in a while. It’s not natural to deprive your body completely of any certain food unless you have an actual allergy. Balance is key to eating healthy, so don’t be afraid of those sweets, girl!
5. You have a TON of homework
What’s going though your mind
You just looked in your planner and the million to-do lists you have on sticky notes all over your desk and realized that you have an insane amount of work to get done. Oh, and the best part? It’s all due this upcoming week. The even better part? You don’t have a second of free time this week between classes and clubs and intramurals. No matter how you try to organize your work or even attempt to conquer the enormous workload, the number of things you have to do just keeps growing and growing. The world is ending; you can feel it.
The solution
Okay, so first of all, the world is not ending. We can promise you that much. Next, you need to do some serious organizing and prioritizing. Make a list with three columns: things that need to be done ASAP, things that need to be done by the end of tomorrow and things that need to be done by the end of the week. Crossing things off your list will make you feel super accomplished. Don’t forget to take study breaks!
6. There’s a girl flirting with your crush
What’s going though your mind
So you did your hair and makeup really nicely and you have on your cutest outfit for the big party tonight because you were planning on talking to the cute guy who lives down the hall from you. You have some mutual friends who have talked to him, so you know he thinks you’re cute, and tonight is the night when you’re going to make your big move. Then you see him talking to this girl wearing a much cuter outfit than you, and your heart drops. That’s it. It’s never going to happen. You want to go home. Your night is ruined.
The solution
The point of parties is to socialize and meet new people, so it’s natural that there are going to be other people there whom he is going to talk to. Even though you were really looking forward to talking to him, you’re going to talk to other people too, right? This is just something you’re going to have to have the confidence to get over. You’re a beautiful girl whom any guy would be lucky to have the chance to get to know; don’t forget that!
7. Your phone is about to die
What’s going through your mind
It’s around lunchtime and you’re on your way to your third class of the day when you pull out your phone to check your email. As you unlock the screen, your heart drops when you see that you have two percent battery left on your phone. That’s like five minutes left for you to find a charger until you’re cut off from the world. You don’t have time to run back to your dorm before your next class, and you have a meeting with a professor right after. You’re going to miss three hours worth of texts, tweets, Instagrams, Snapchats and Facebook posts; you might as well not even exist. Goodbye, world; it was nice knowing you.
The solution
We’ll be the first to confess that we’re a little bit dependent on our phones. It’s something that we’re fully aware of and are willing to admit (admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right?). There is a rational part of your brain that should be able to understand how silly you’re being right now, though. People go days, weeks, even months without cell phones by choice; three hours is not going to wipe you off the face of the social media world. And, remember, there was a time in your life when you didn’t have a smartphone—and you totally survived.
Let this be a nice break from technology and a chance to fully focus on class and your schoolwork without the distraction of your phone vibrating every other minute. Oh, and just a tip for future reference: Keep an extra phone charger in your bag.
8. Your laundry is piling up
What’s going through your mind
You haven’t gotten the chance to do your laundry in about two and a half weeks. Not only does this mean you have a heaping pile of clothes in the corner of your room, but it also means that you’re going to have to do around three loads of laundry to get them all clean. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
The solution
First things first, you need to separate your laundry into however many loads you think it will take to get it all cleaned. Put the first load in, do some homework, put the second load in, run to a meeting, put the third load in, organize your planner for the week. The task seems a lot less daunting when you divide it up into smaller parts, and knocking other things off your to-do list while you wait will make you feel super productive.
Just do your laundry every week to avoid this problem. You can also set an alarm on your phone that goes off once a week at a certain time; no matter what you’re doing, no matter where you are, the alarm means it’s laundry time. Drop everything you’re doing and go do your laundry, girl!
9. You’re running low on cash
What’s going through your mind
When you checked your bank account last week, you could have sworn there was at least $200 in there. You just checked your balance and it’s down to $6! What?! Where did all your money go? All you’ve really spent money on in the past week is four dinners, two movie tickets, lunch almost every day and the cutest pair of heels (they were on sale; you couldn’t resist).
The solution
Frivolous spending is a bad habit that we’re all guilty of. Swiping a piece of plastic and getting whatever you want in return is such a great feeling, but you can easily lose track of your spending that way. Try to get in the habit of checking your bank account balance every night before you go to bed. This is a good way to see how much money you’re spending each day and what that money is being spent on. A lot of banks have mobile apps; not only will these allow you to check your balance, but some also allow you to deposit checks and even transfer money from your savings to checking account, all on the go!
10. You just got a huge pimple
What’s going through your mind
You knew it was too good to be true when you hadn’t had any major breakouts in over a month. You were so excited and thought maybe this was the end of that phase where you still got pimples, but you jinxed it. You woke up this morning to a nice, red zit on your cheek.
This isn’t the kind you can just dab a little bit of concealer on to hide it; this a mountain on your face that cant be hidden. Mount Pimpleous is a stubborn little thing that just gets redder and more irritated the more you mess with it. Of course this happens right before you have a huge presentation to make in front of your psychology class. Everyone is going to be looking at it and thinking about how disgusting you are instead of listening to a word you’re saying.
The solution
Everyone and their mother has told us to not pop our pimples. And of course we all know that the more you pick at and mess with a blemish, the worse it’s going to get. We’ve all had pimples, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar. Some adults still have to deal with acne in their 40s and 50s, so you’re not alone here.
As much as it might pain you, try not to cake your pimple with makeup or spend hours in front of the mirror trying to squeeze the life out of it. Wait a few days, and it should be gone. As far as your presentation goes, if someone is shallow enough to judge you based entirely on a single pimple you have on your face, that’s their problem, not yours.
11. You can’t find anything to watch on Netflix
What’s going through your mind
You finally have some downtime, so you decide to browse Netflix for something to watch. Parks and Rec, 30 Rock and Gossip Girl are all out of the question because, as amazing as all those shows are, you’ve seen them way too many times. All of the TV shows look weird, and all of the movies are from 2003. You’re not interested. You scroll and click through every single section on the website and find absolutely nothing. There goes an hour of your life you’re never getting back, and it’s time for you to head back out for class now. Ugh.
The solution
Netflix’s selection is enormous, so there has to be something that you haven’t seen yet that you’d like to watch. Thankfully, some likeminded people have created a website that helps you decide what to watch. If they still can’t help you out, consider a subscription to Hulu Plus, which has a lot of current shows and past seasons of popular shows. It’s only $7.99 per month and it’s super easy to sign up; the link to it is right on Hulu’s homepage.
12. You forgot to put on deodorant
What’s going through your mind
You had a bit of a rough morning: You snoozed your alarm three times, woke up late, didn’t have time to eat or shower before class and barely made it to the lecture hall on time for your 8 a.m. Amidst all the chaos, you forgot to swipe on some deodorant before you ran out of your room. It also just so happens to be one of the hottest days of the week, and you’re sweating like a pig. Awesome. You hope no one notices your smell as you sit in class with your arms glued to your sides, not even moving them to pick up your pen that fell on the ground.
The solution
For the time being, try to keep your arms down by your side and pray to the hormone gods that you stop sweating. If you don’t think that will help, go to the bathroom and wipe down any place you’re feeling extra sweaty with a paper towel. This won’t completely solve your dilemma, but it will surely mask your problem until you have time to go back to your room.
Something that can come in handy for the future is a travel-sized deodorant to keep in your bag. If you can sneak to the bathroom to freshen up, your stress will definitely be relieved.
Life is full of little things that are unpleasant, but that doesn’t mean that you have to freak out like it’s the end of the world. Everyone, and yes, we mean everyone, runs into some bumps in the road during the day. The best way to get over them is to simply understand that life goes on. Don’t sweat the small stuff!