It’s Okay to Take a Break

These past couple of weeks have been really draining for me, and after talking to many of my friends, I realized it’s been draining for all of us. The combination of a global pandemic, constant Zoom classes, limited physical interactions, and a lack of a real break have left many of us feeling exhausted and fed up. These stressful factors in conjunction would leave anybody feeling down, but I think it’s been particularly hard on most college students, who feel that they are being cheated from what was supposed to be some of the best years of their lives. For me, the constant pressure of school feels worsened by what seems like being robbed of spring break; the only real chance for a break from my hectic schedule. And let’s be honest, the BU Wellness Days did not leave anyone feeling particularly well. They were inserted into the middle of the week with no pause in assignments from our professors, leaving many of us simply feeling disoriented and more stressed than ever.

All of these things have really been weighing on me, and that’s why I decided to take a day to myself to do the things I love to do and give myself a break from all of the mayhem surrounding our current situation. I only have one class on Fridays, which ends at 11:00AM so I was free to devote the rest of the day to myself. For others, depending on class schedule, this day could fall during the week, or more likely, on one of our rare free days on the weekends. I finished class on Friday and promptly headed to the gym, something I felt I haven’t had the time or energy to do in a whole week. Getting myself out of bed and to the gym was difficult to be completely honest, but once I got there and completed my workout, I started to feel like myself again. Working out really serves to clear my head and give me motivation that I didn’t know I needed. I then spent the rest of the day listening to new music on my record player and giving my room a much needed cleaning session. I cooked a time-consuming recipe for stuffed bell peppers for dinner and spent some time really and truly by myself. After dinner, I journaled and read some of the books that I’ve been meaning to start since what feels like forever. 

Overall, I had an amazing day just spending time with myself. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or just entirely stressed out with school, then I highly recommend forcing yourself to just take a day dedicated to you. It really helped me, and I hope it’ll help you too.

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• break
• mental health
• school
• self-care
• spring break
• stress
• time
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