I need to finish that work assignment. Oh, and did I do the dry cleaning? Mary’s shirt – crap, where did I put that? Hm, it’s a nice day out, I wonder if I need to bring my coat. Wait, what did I need to do again?

Sometimes, this is typical of my progression of thoughts: disjointed, non-linear, rambling. I often wonder if I have undiagnosed ADD. When I was younger, I had extreme difficulty completing tasks, staying organized, and finishing projects or chores on time. I found myself avoiding anything that required a lot of thought and concentration, being incredibly fidgety and restless, and could never remember appointments or obligations. Initially, I spent my school days in utter agony, struggling to pay attention and organize myself and my thoughts and dealing with the repercussions of a chaotic life on the self-esteem and other relationships.

I worked to correct my patterns over the years, living a life governed by sticky notes, planners, constant alarms on my phone, and constantly reciting the next steps of an activity or task in my head. They usually work, but the moment I let go of these corrective mechanisms even slightly, my life descends into chaos.

Over the years, I have cultivated a system to keep myself in check (which has admittedly been harder this year):

1. Daily exercise – It calms my mind, helps me focus, allows me to work off stress2. SLEEP – College students are so sleep-deprived! But I am imposing a daily bedtime
3. Healthy eating – Despite my sweet tooth, I try to reduce my sugar intake, keep my carbs low, and add more protein. This may or may not
4. Limiting technology – Despite my best efforts, facebook and social media consumes too much of my life. After too much technology, I just feel overwhelmed, dazed, disoriented, so now I make an effort to get myself away from the computer and enjoy life more 🙂

What do you guys do to keep yourselves functioning and in-check?