Touch grass – and by grass, I mean a potted plant.

One of the first things I do when moving back into my university house after summer break is buy a bouquet of flowers. The daisies, chrysanthemums, or baby's breath that I meticulously arrange in scattered vases bring some life back into my room. Although it’s a small detail, having live plants – and occasionally flowers – in my room has become a priority for me. Their presence grounds me as I navigate through my busy life.

Throughout university, I've become very familiar with feeling overwhelmed. In high school, I considered myself a worrier; I was regularly anxious about school, friendship dynamics, or the future. In retrospect, my teenage anxieties seem minuscule, as my worries have been exacerbated by the increased pressure of university and the seemingly rapid passage of time. It's unsettling to wake up in the morning to an immediate pit of dread in your stomach. The opening of my eyelids lift the floodgates of the day's to-dos. And when this becomes an everyday feeling, it can seem impossible to disrupt the cycle of daily dread. I find this pattern happens the most when I'm drowning in schoolwork and commitments, with little time to stop and collect my thoughts. Unopened text messages accumulate on my phone, my laundry bin overflows, and I feel scattered. But glancing at the sunlight hitting my hanging ivy in the morning can sometimes put things into perspective. Rooting my chaotic life in the soil of small mood improvers, like my plants, can sometimes make a difference.

As a schedule-oriented person, I enjoy the routine behind plant care. The ritual of watering them every couple of days, ensuring they get enough sunlight and replanting them when they've outgrown their pot is therapeutic. During cycles of dread, caring for them can also serve as a reminder to care for myself – to get groceries, drink more water, or reach out to friends I haven't seen in a while. Taking care of something other than yourself can shift the outlook you have on your own life. Seeing my investment of care return in the ivy flowing down from the hanging pots by my window feels rewarding. On the other hand, if my plants aren't doing well, it's an indication that I'm feeling disoriented. It may seem futile, but when you're on the verge of exhaustion, up late cramming for an exam, having something alive nearby can bring comfort.

Amid our ever-busy lives, it's often difficult to stop and think about activities, people, and objects that, consciously or subconsciously, make our lives more pleasant. But I've found it helpful to keep a mental list of small pleasures that I can break out in times of emergency. The list excludes anything time-consuming that could feel like a burden. Instead, it includes activities and items I can fit into any day, without feeling constrained by time or energy. My list consists of hot showers in the morning, short walks with a friend in the middle of the day, a chai latte from a coffee shop after class, cooking dinner with good company, or watering my plants, just to name a few. This way, when I’m struggling, I can reach into my repertoire of small pleasures, making it somewhat easier to break the cycle of dread.