Now that our two “mental health days” are done and midterms are finally starting to draw to a close, a lot of people may feel the need to take a step back and relax, especially if they’ve been working non-stop. For a lot of us, our days off from classes weren’t as relaxing as they could have been, and we may feel like we’re teetering on the edge of burnout. And many of us still have work to do, so relaxing doesn’t seem like anything we can achieve until we “just get through this week,” which is a phrase that is routinely repeated every week. And as such, some of us may feel that we don’t have the time or don’t deserve to take the time to ourselves or relax until we get everything done. This, however, is bullshit.
I believe that everyone should find some time to relax, especially when life gets hectic. Now, I’m not saying that you should skip all of your classes and ignore your assignments (at least not all the time), but I do think it’s vital to take a little time for yourself each day, be it a half hour between classes or a few hours after dinner. In the grind culture of today that seems to emphasize hard work and productivity over all else, it can be a really difficult thing to take a knowing and purposeful step back to focus on yourself. It can feel like giving up, or procrastination, and most of the time moments like that make people feel guilty about all the work they could be doing. But this attitude ultimately just leads to burnout and often intense feelings of uselessness, stress and frustration. Therefore, I think it’s really important to take some time for yourself. Taking a break from an essay to go for a walk, or spending a few minutes doing some online shopping before a class isn’t the end of the world, nor is taking a few hours to nap or curl up in front of a movie. In fact, it does a world of good; taking even a little time for yourself each day can really help reduce your stress and make the work ahead of you a bit easier to bear, or at the very least remind you that you and your mental health should be a priority.
College can be stressful as all hell, and although it’s easy to fall into the trap of all work and no play, it’s important to remember that not all breaks and procrastination is bad; sometimes a break is so desperately needed and necessary to our mental health and overall well-being that it’s important to remember to take one every once in a while. No matter what form a break takes for you, I hope you find the time to take one today, and as often as you need to to keep yourself going.