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Being Creative In College Kept Me From Going Insane

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter.

Do you ever look at your Google Calendar and feel like your own schedule, that you lovingly crafted, is choking the life out of you? Me too! College has left me almost no time for hobbies outside of studying, and when I do get a moment to breathe, all I want to do is rest and not move. All the hobbies I had in high school seem to have vanished from my repertoire, leaving me rotting in my apartment or at my friends’ homes.

However, I realized quickly into my first quarter of college that only doing school work, going out, and scrolling, is not good for my mental health, and I had to make time for outside activities. Over the last year or so of being at UCSB, I’ve discovered some very low effort hobbies and ways to stay creative that don’t require much brain power, and have kept me from having a meltdown.

Gone are the high school days where I would read multiple books a week and still have time for extracurriculars. Now, juggling an internship and upper division classes, I’ve been forced to find new hobbies that take up much less time. One of my favorite things to do before bed, rather than doomscrolling or attempting to tackle a monstrous pile of never-ending assigned readings, is to pull out a silly coloring book, and let myself color outside the lines. When I was a kid at my grandma’s house, my sister and I used to draw together all the time, so discovering an easier way to do this in college brought back so much nostalgia.

After a long day of classes, my go-to way of unwinding is by: lighting a candle, putting on a mindless YouTube video, and coloring in pictures with the most absurd colors. My favorite thing to do is draw people as hot pink or even bright green, and think back to how my younger self would not have liked that I wasn’t being truthful to real life. As an added benefit, Mayo Clinic Health system claims that coloring actually can “improve sleep and fatigue, while decreasing body aches, heart rate, respiration, and feelings of depression and anxiety”. Who knew?

Along with coloring like a 5 year old, another hobby I’ve picked up is writing poetry. Prior to college, I used to make journaling a priority, and would unload my thoughts upon countless pages within my notebook. Now, journaling is more of a weekend activity, when I have more time to reflect on everything that’s been happening in my life. During the week, I find myself reaching for that same notebook, and creating a sort of puzzle to see how I can put down my thoughts in an artistic way, with as few words as possible. The poetry I write is probably not that good — and will likely never see the eyes of another person besides my own — but like journaling, it’s a great way to let the thoughts flow out of my brain in a creative way. Even if it’s just 5 or 6 lines of words, I always close that notebook feeling content that I was able to physically put my feelings onto a page.

Like poetry and coloring, going on hot girl walks seems to share the common theme of hobbies that allow me to be creative and process my emotions. I have the privilege of having a packed schedule Monday through Thursday, that leaves my Fridays open with no classes. Every Friday morning — and during the week if I get back to my apartment before the sun sets — I put in my AirPods that only work half the time, and walk towards the ocean. Sometimes I’ll walk a couple loops around the campus lagoon, and other times I’ll bike to Devs and take the trail to Sands Beach to watch the surfers.

You might be like, Kiana, how is walking creative? But I promise you, these walks can become the ultimate brainstorming session. They give me the much needed space to muse over potential pitches for Her Campus, create a mental vision board of my future, and go through different outfit combos I might wear (like that one pair of thrifted brown boots I have yet to wear out, even though I swore I would). Connecting with my mind and body by walking through the beautiful nature that’s right outside our door is just a bonus.

In high school, being on the soccer team was how I got my energy out, but in college, with no one telling me how to spend my time, I quickly had to find ways to stay healthy without the structure I previously had. These long walks (combined with going to my apartment gym and the Rec Cen) actually take up a considerable amount of my week, but I have found it to be such a worthwhile investment. The movement I get on these walks gives my brain a place to wander that isn’t back to what I should be studying, and lets me be in the moment with my body, even if it’s only for a couple of hours.

You have to learn how to let things go in college, and accept that there will never be a time where everything on your to-do list is checked off. The readings you have to do will double by the end of the week, laundry will become a never-ending cycle, and you will always have some errand to run that you forgot about. It’s taken some time, but I have learned to accept that, for my mental and physical well being, I have to give up one thing or another, because there are simply not more than 24 hours in a day. College can be a stressful, beautiful time, but make sure you give yourself the grace and energy to create new ways to have fun. Finding new hobbies helped me get to know myself more intimately, and be more comfortable spending time alone.

Hi, I’m Kiana Woods, a second-year English major at UCSB, originally from Santa Cruz and Hollister, California. I'm a pickle enthusiast, and love Jack Johnson and Radiohead's "In Rainbows" album. When I’m not studying or writing for Her Campus, you can find me floating in the ocean or curled up with a good book.