Sit here with me. Let’s put on our Spotify “daylists,” click on that Pinterest icon, and create something. The sun is setting and your body and mind are finally at ease. Perhaps you even have some tea brewing as we make new boards and a little white noise behind the everyday bustle of a dorm room (living in North, trust me I know how loud it can be). Now that you have had a taste, let me explain Pinterest and the art of a break.
Pinterest will not fix everything, and though I think everyone should take a break from time to time, it will also not solve all your problems. Everyone is different and I am solely sharing what has worked for me and how I’ve solved my high-stress levels. Music has always been a calming activity for me, whether singing or listening, the rhythm and stories behind every song can swiftly change my mood. Music is an essential treat in life, it can hype you up before going on a date, add to your moodiness as you get in your feels, or make you feel romantic and nostalgic. Music is very powerful, I have used it as a calming mechanism and it has served me well in my troubling midterm times. However, the issue is that society has become too starved for entertainment, our brains need more content faster, we need to watch TV and scroll and eat all at once. So, for me, just music works at times but when I need extra stimulus I can always rely on Pinterest and Spotify vibes.
As classes ramp up, time ticks away, and the days are filled up with unrelenting loads of work and to-dos, I have gotten the courage to take a break. A break has been incorporated into my everyday routine and I urge you to take one as well. Now, let me first introduce you to Pinterest — it is an online and mobile app you may use to scour the internet for outfit pics, inspiration for desserts, haircuts, nails, makeup, affirmations, and just life in general. As someone who obsessively uses Google Calendar, Pinterest is the organizational equivalent in terms of figuring out your vibe, mapping it, inspiring it, and eventually achieving it.
Another great addition is that you can share boards — a board is a little organizational cubicle for whatever pins you choose to put there — and add other people. I have a board with my boyfriend called “date inspo,” where we add pins of activities we love. We also share another board called “things we want,” where I pin items or actions I want, this usually saves us a lot of time when searching for holiday gifts. All to say, Pinterest is another organizational-girl app. Not only does it allow you to organize your vibe, it color codes it! You choose everything, curate every board, with complete creative control. Entering the Pinterest landscape on my phone actively boosts my dopamine. I see smoothie recipes, summer outfits, Jellycats, and affirmational quotes that all but confirm that I am that girl. So let’s be that girl together, let’s open up Pinterest.
As for taking a break, I must work a bit harder to convince some of you that it is necessary. My entire life I have reminded myself of the 30 million other things I could be doing rather than taking a break. I could start my homework, do laundry, reply to emails, apply to internships, yada yada yada. You get my point. However, how often do you find yourself actually doing that? When your body and mind are in need of a break, any work you do is meaningless, everything is mediocre, and nothing is truly getting done. Either you are doom-scrolling or just putting half-effort into work, which just sets you back more.
Listen. Take that break. Breathe, do something you like! Find the time to add it into your week, if not every day. Sometimes I do yoga, read, do a face mask, pluck my eyebrows, paint my nails, watch TV, start a movie, the list is endless. There are so many things that bring me happiness. Creating a ritual for yourself is vital as a student, let alone as an adult. To not burn out and to not hate everyone and everything, you need to take a break. Life is short but it is also long, so give yourself grace, show yourself love, and breathe.
Once again, take a break if you want, but let’s all find some way to show our bodies kindness. Take an everything-shower, open an old book, journal before sleeping, or write poetry, the list is endless. The sole kindness of merely breathing is enough. Take a minute to enjoy the present, forget about the past, future, and allow yourself the right to be. For me, I cuddle up next to some decaffeinated green tea, watch some Gossip Girl, and spread a face mask on. For you, a break could be anything as long as you choose to take it.