This semester I’ve found myself running. Running, not in the “late for class” kind of way, but more so running through this semester and through these next two months to graduation. Some of you, regardless of whether you’re graduating or not, might also feel this way.
I’ve decided that for my sanity, I’m going to stop running and give myself a break. I invite you all to do the same.
Each semester at UF either darts away at an alarming speed or barely crawls by. This is why it sometimes feels like we have to be everywhere at once or why we get a gnawing feeling that we’re not doing enough. Personally, I’ve swung to both sides of the spectrum this semester only to find that when my schedule is light, I start to overcompensate and make every second last. In the end, my weeks that were supposed to be easy end up filled with anxiety. I do it to myself, and I’m sure a lot of you do, too. There’s a reason we’re at a university that’s in the top 10 in the country — we’re overachievers by heart.
Being hyperinvolved is an admirable trait, don’t get me wrong, but we need to schedule time to enjoy ourselves.
We too often find ourselves running through semesters, only to be rewarded with a week of peace before a new semester or a new job hits us. This vicious cycle leaves us with a trying task: to find a balance between our work life and our personal life. It might sound easy enough, but I know I can’t be the only one who struggles with it. Make time for the things that matter, and especially make time for your mental health.
When I say to take a break, I mean that you need to learn to give yourself days off every now and then, even if you don’t think you have the time. I didn’t realize I’d been running for weeks until this weekend came along and for the second time this entire semester, I spent my whole weekend outside of the library.
It is both a scary and liberating feeling to step away from work and school for two days, but it is necessary. Unlike robots or machines, we need rest and breaks from intensive studying or working 30-hour weeks. We need time to recharge before we go straight back into the storm. Dear readers, please make sure you’re giving yourself this time. If you’re not, your health and mental well-being could start to suffer.
Whether it’s going home for a weekend or spending an entire day with snacks in bed watching Netflix, do it, because you deserve it. This is why I want you to promise yourself to see the signs of being overworked, and do something. You may think you’re okay now, but all of that exhaustion and anxiety will catch up to you one day. Your career or your grades won’t crash and burn if you decide to treat yourself to some time off. In fact, you’ll probably come back stronger and with a clearer head.
As Maya Angelou once said, “each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”
Sara Marino is a UF journalism senior. Her column appears on Wednesday.
