Making Me Time Meaningful

For college students, life can be non-stop. Daily life can consist of school, work, studying, friends, family, exercise, and more–it’s exhausting. If you’re like me, the second you finally get a moment alone in your room, you are endlessly scrolling or watching a show until the middle of the night, because it’s your one chance to just relax. This article explores why using alone time to do things for yourself is important, and some ways that you can practice taking care of yourself in relaxing ways. 

A wellness article written by Kendra Cherry highlights how valuable ‘me time’ can be, stating that it fuels personal exploration, creativity, and personal exploration. If you don’t have healthy ways to mentally reset, you can find yourself in an endless cycle of feeling drained especially when you’re around people. Mindfulness exercises, relaxing hobbies and creating personal goals are just a few of the ways you can work towards making your time more meaningful to your mental health. 

Mindfulness

Mindfulness exercises are a great way to relax your body and take advantage of a few minutes of quiet. One way you can practice this may be following a meditation guide. YouTube has a wide variety of great guides that are easy to follow. I like to search for videos like ‘meditation for mental reset.’ Another way to tap into mindfulness is yoga. Different poses and techniques can calm your mind through your body, and release stored stress. Exercises can be a few minutes long or an hour and still be beneficial to your mental health. 

Hobbies

Finding new hobbies that are affordable and not stressful can be difficult. A few hobbies that I do alone that leave me feeling motivated are reading and junk journaling/scrapbooking. Getting lost in a book is an easy escape from your mind, and I always feel much better about myself after reading instead of scrolling. While reading can get expensive very quickly, I started reading this past summer by borrowing books from my friends. Library cards are also free and easy to get. 

Junk journaling, defined in Art Journalist as “A book often made through found and recycled materials… as a way to collect and record memories, thoughts, ideas, and inspiration” is a fun way to put your pile of stickers and items you’re holding onto to use, while also tapping into your creative side. This can look any way you’d like, and is useful as a time for reflection while you organize your memories and feelings in a new crafty way. 

Self Reflection

The most meaningful way that I’ve found to reflect on myself and my goals is to simply plan for the following day. During your busiest weeks before bed, in your notes app, journal, or calendar, think about tomorrow and decide what you will get done and who you will be at the end of the day. I find that calling it a ‘to-do list’ makes it feel like I’m completing chores, but calling them my ‘goals’ makes it a list of conscious decisions rather than responsibilities. 

It can be physical goals such as cleaning out your closet or finishing that paper you keep procrastinating. It could also be emotional goals to help you stay mentally strong throughout your busy days. By incorporating journaling and self reflection routinely, you will go to sleep motivated and wake up feeling ready to start knocking out your goals list. 

Finding ways that work for you is important, but trying different techniques is a great way to start your personal journey to helping yourself make your ‘me time’ a little more restorative and enjoyable. 

• #mindfulness
• college
• hobbies
• mental health
• selfcare
• selfreflection