Sometimes, I have so many things going through my head that I ask myself certain questions that shouldn’t even be asked in the first place. My mind is constantly racing and thinking about all of the things I have to do for college and to find space in my schedule for my friends, family, and myself. These are some of the mishaps that have happened in my mind these past few months.
- “Did I lock the door before I left?”
-
This one never fails. I’m pretty sure I’ve asked myself this at least three times a week. Usually, I’m in a rush to take the next train for college and sometimes I feel like I left without locking the door. Before I take the elevator downstairs towards the train station, I have to make sure I locked the door. We don’t wanna get robbed in this household.
- “Where is my phone?”
-
I’m pretty sure we have all been here at least once. Immediately after asking this, I find my phone 90% of the time. (The other 10% means I’m desperately looking for it all over the house.) Without even realizing it, I either put my phone in my pocket or in my bag. I’ve had occasions where my phone is actually in my hand. Usually, this moment is accompanied with a “why are you like this?”.
- “What day is it?”
-
Sometimes the week flies by so fast that we don’t even realize it, or the week can go extremely slow, to the point that it feels like the entire week flew by, when it’s only Tuesday. As a college student, my sense of time malfunctions because of my busy schedule. When I go back to my old notes to make my reviews, I realize that I wrote the date incorrectly. So I ask myself this in one of only two scenarios: I’m either trying to regain consciousness of the date after I’ve lost track of time, or I need to remember something for the future.
- “Am I really understanding what I’m reading?”
-
As a college student, I try to be as responsible as I can and read my assigned readings and books for my Literature class. Usually, I read for the sake of reading and checking the task off of my to-do list, so I don’t even know whether I understand the material or not. I answer myself after going a few paragraphs back to remember what I’m learning. (This usually is answered with a no, but I continue to read anyways.)
- “How old am I?”
-
Well how about that? I don’t even know how old I am. There are times when people randomly ask me this and for some reason, I feel like I’m being put on the spot and have to think before I answer. I pause for a few seconds before saying “I’m 21,” because I don’t wanna make a mistake. I don’t know what is more embarrassing: answering wrong or thinking before answering.
- “When was the last time I ate?”
-
This typically happens during midterms and finals. When I am in the zone,studying without any kind of distractions, time flies by without even realizing it and my brain doesn’t process the fact that I haven’t eaten in a long time. Sometimes, either I skip lunch or I skip dinner. There is no in-between.
I know life is pretty crazy, and we feel like slowing down isn’t an option. We are constantly rushed in every aspect of our lives, and taking a break even sounds bizarre sometimes. If you feel like you’ve asked yourself these questions, just know that you are not alone and that, just maybe, you should take it as a sign to take a break.