While for most people the week leading up to Spring Break means midterm week, all of my papers and exams were done either at the end of last week or on Monday, so I’ve had a pretty light load since then. Because of this, I’ve been making more of an effort to take in my surroundings and fully enjoy the final week before break. On Tuesday specifically, it was nearly 60 degrees and sunny. I went about my day as usual, going from work to class and then to the gym before boxing followed by dinner with my friends. However, boxing was canceled right before it was scheduled to start, so instead two of my friends and I decided to go for a walk to enjoy the fresh air. Our long walk then turned into us sitting in the grass talking for a while, which then turned into a two-hour dinner before we went right to our Her Campus meeting. I love spending time with my friends more than anything and really did not have anything of extreme importance to get done, yet I still found myself continuously checking the time on my phone and somewhat stressing out about the rest of my night. The realization that I was unconsciously doing this has made me take the time to reflect on how tense the past six weeks have made me.
It is so so easy to get caught up in the academic-driven environment we live in as students. Wasting away and just enjoying simply spending time with two of my friends on Tuesday brought me out of the endless cycle I had been living in. It is important to waste away with your friends sometimes, it is important to get fresh air and sun, it is important to prioritize your happiness over your schoolwork, and it is especially important to simply enjoy and live in the moment without worrying about the future. I am extremely thankful that I am lucky enough to have friends that easily help me remember this fact, and will happily kill five full hours with me doing nothing on a random Tuesday afternoon. Following Spring Break and primarily as the weather continues to get nicer, make an effort to make time for your mental health and enjoyment! It’s okay to let go and relax every once in a while.