My second year at UC Berkeley has been full of deadlines, exams, and courses that sometimes have me fighting for my life, but I’ve managed to get through it all. My little secret for all of this is simple: spending quality time with my friends by doing a repeat activity (or tradition).
Every Sunday, my roommates and I watch a movie together. We call these our Sunday Movie Mornings where we all wake up and make waffles together before settling down to watch a movie that we’ve selected. We have a paper pinned to our refrigerator that’s filled with different movies we want to watch during these Sunday morning movie days.
Having this tradition allows me to have a slow Sunday morning in order to find time to enjoy myself, and consistently so, each week. Being a college student can be time-consuming and often frustrating, but spending time with friends always makes it more doable. Having a routine makes this even easier, since it can be hard to find gaps in your schedule that align with everyone else’s.
The conclusion of what I’m saying is to consistently schedule activities that bring you joy to allow gaps in your busy timetables. Allowing yourself a moment to spend time with your friends doing something you love (watching movies, playing sports, etc.) or even having a set time each week to do a solo activity for yourself (reading a book, catching up on your favorite TV show, etc.) can be just what you need to keep you going through the semester, particularly before/after midterm season hits us all.
Sunday movie mornings with my friends have been some of the highlights of my sophomore year, and I know it’s a tradition that will continue.