A typical day for me, and many other college students, is usually jam-packed with tons of things to do in just one day. It feels like there is always something that needs to be done on my to-do list every day. It’s either, I have to go to school, go to work, do schoolwork, go workout, clean, or work on any other responsibility.
Every day, I feel like I have to do all of those things to be considered productive. Some of those things are required to do daily and it’s fine to spend your time doing it. However, when I do finish it all, what then?
I have completely convinced myself that I have to always be working on something else that is not always fun and not always needed. Going to school, work, or the gym can obviously be beneficial and enjoyable, but what else? When I do have downtime, I feel forced to do something required or “responsible” to feel like I am being a proper adult.
Relaxing doesn’t seem attainable for me ever. The mere thought of laying down and watching a movie during the day makes me feel like I’m being wasteful of my day. If I have time to do that then I have time to clean my whole room which is what I should be doing, right?
No, that’s not at all what that means. There’s a lot of pressure nowadays to feel like you have to be this perfect student who has their life together. You compare yourselves to what other people are doing and it makes you feel like you’re not doing enough. But what you are doing is enough.
It’s more than okay to have a day to chill out, to self-care, to do things you find enjoyable, or to do absolutely nothing. It’s not healthy to give your mind and body no time to recover from everything else you’re doing. Being in your early 20s, you’re more vulnerable to feeling all these negative emotions about yourself when you’re constantly looking at what everyone else is doing. Everyone should be able to feel like they can put themselves first, for your own self- good.
It’s hard to think that I’m not lazy for being this perfectly productive adult. But what we don’t see behind closed doors, is every other perfectly productive adult, going through the same thing that you are going through. Relaxing is productive because you are allowing yourself to regain the energy that you need. Your mind and body will thank you for giving it time to calm down and feel okay.
You are not lazy for wanting to do things for yourself. You are not lazy for taking time for yourself. You are not lazy just because you’re not busy all day.
It’s time we stop associating our own self-care with laziness. It will always be okay to care of yourself.