Being a college student, professor or staff member can make for a demanding work day and stress. Beyond your to-do list, there’s other duties you might have to tackle. There’s family life and friends. There are also other errands, chores or side hustles.
Being in this environment can be like you’re in an endless cycle of days in a pressure cooker.
There might be a paper or lesson plan to write or prep, a quiz on Canvas or a day where two tests line up at once. Or there’s those days that seem to be a never-ending series of unfortunate events: the bus that drives by right as you get there, a jammed printer or a broken laptop.
Needless to say, these events are draining.
For me, taking time for myself comes with guilt. I beat myself up for taking a nap or reading mindless, fluffy articles when I should be doing an assignment, reading important news, working on my portfolio or learning a new skill outside of the classroom.
As a student, I feel pressure to constantly be at work: applying for scholarships, searching for internships, taking classes, working on extracurricular activities, updating resumes and staying on top of required classes, grades, career fairs and beyond.
The same guilt can come with buying something beyond your list of needs.
However, I think Netflix nights, going out, reading a book for fun, having a shopping day or simply doing nothing are just as important as work.
These moments are where you learn who you are beyond work or school. They keep you fueled in a draining world where you’re bombarded with countless assignments, sad headlines or issues in your personal life.
Life is more than your title of “student.”
Tasks that can be considered a waste of time could be the same thing that inspires a dream, new passion or career or something that propels your motivation or leads you on a path that eases stress.
For me, there are days when I’m lying in bed feeling unwell because of my chronic illness; I don’t even leave bed. However, taking the time to rest allows me to take on a new week or a new semester at times when doctors tell me to stop. Even more, it gives me the space to think about ways to help other people.
It took being admitted to the hospital years ago to finally stop and step back outside the boundaries of work and school.
Lying in a hospital bed, feeling like I was wasting time, was where I became even closer to words and stories. In the dingy, dim room with faint beeps and a trickling IV, I dreamed up my blog and book idea to raise awareness for my chronic illness.
Getting sick has shown me more than anything the importance of the so-called wasting of time because it forces me to stop.
This isn’t to stay I don’t still beat myself up every day. However, it has allowed me to be better.
So the next time you’re sitting on your dorm bed, having some fun or making a spur of the moment purchase and a haunting thought of your stress and to-dos trickles in, try to block it with the knowledge that you are still working — just in other ways.
You’re working on making memories, taking a needed break, finding yourself and living life to the fullest.
That is not a waste of time.
Sophie Feinberg is a UF journalism junior. Her column comes out Tuesday and Thursday.
