I am currently writing this blog post on a plane to North Carolina for my cousin’s wedding. I was going back and forth trying to figure out if I should go or not. The semester is in full swing for me and I am jam-packed with school, work, dance, clubs, and internship work. Balancing it all PLUS managing a social-life has been the ultimate test for me.
I’m used to being a busy human, but I constantly find myself having mental breakdowns and not even having the time for myself. I am a firm believer in “me time” and self-care. I am stubborn with it too, but sometimes I just need to forget all my responsibilities and get away from everything. That’s why I took the opportunity to just get up and go to North Carolina for the weekend. I need it badly. I got most of my work done so I can be free this weekend and not stress about not doing my homework for once.
(Me & one of my cousins on the right)
I can honestly say that I am so happy taking this break. I am at peace and extremely excited to see most of my family from up north and the newborn babies that are extending this beautiful family I call mine.
Mental breaks are so important. Sometimes you just have to say “whatever” and be selfish for once. Leave everything, leave your friends; take time for yourself and don’t feel guilty about it. I vow to make that my goal this year – making “me time” necessary in my life. Whether it’s a walk around campus, going out to eat, reading a book, journaling, doing a face mask, or spontaneously taking a weekend trip out of the state. It’s natural for us humans to get pre-occupied and distracted with the hustle and bustle of life. I feel like college students feel that with an extra pressure and weight on our shoulders, and that is very unhealthy when that pressure accumulates and begins to weigh us down.
We have all been there, in a bad mental state and we just don’t know what to do anymore. My advice: TAKE A BREAK. You need it. Trust me. Get up and do something to treat yourself. Personally, I do even better handling my workload once I get sleep and a mental break from everything on my schedule. That is usually the mindset I keep – I need this break because I know I will get my work done faster and better if I get my mind off of the stresses in my life.
That is my motivation for you in the weeks, months, and lifetime to come. Set some sort of reminder and make sure to designate a day or even a few hours to drop everything and focus on yourself. It will be so worth it in the end and your journey will be a bit more peaceful as you let your mind relax for a while. It is hard for me, I must admit, but I am trying to find that balance. I have Fridays and Saturdays off for the most part, so my goal, instead of sleeping in until 12 p.m., is to wake up early, go to the gym and go to Starbucks after to journal and reflect upon my week. I am excited to see where this will take me mentally and how it will change my mindset. Share what your ideas are for mental breaks to my Instagram or Twitter! I’d love to hear what works for you.