College is dreadfully busy for me, and finding time to relax without feeling guilty is tough.
I need to attend class and take notes, but the instructor is dull and I can’t get a good idea for my steampunk story out of my head.
My homework keeps me busy until the end of the day. Don’t I deserve to relax for a few hours when the weekend arrives?
What if I want to sit and do nothing but think? How about eating my meal a little slower, staying in my warm bed until I feel awake and ready to face the cold morning or delaying my shower for a day because I feel too tired and the water is too cold anyway?
I keep obeying these thoughts then regretting them during a moment of stress that seemed avoidable. Then I obey these thoughts again because I feel too stressed to keep up with my work.
Yet there is no question that sitting down and working all day does me no good either. I need to go outside and take a walk. I need to eat and sleep. I need to allow myself to relax before I explode from stress.
Finding a balance between work, life and relaxation is tricky because it’s difficult to judge exactly how long a task will take or how much time will be sacrificed planning out the day to find that balance.
Sometimes, the bigger picture floods my mind. One day, I won’t have the energy I have now, the opportunities around me will dry up, the support I now receive will end and things will get harder, so I need to do things now. But there simply isn’t enough time to dedicate to my wants and needs equally.
Work and the desire to destress tend to consume my life, so appreciating the little things helps me both stay sane and find ways for me to improve myself. Without the heated rooms I work in, the comfortable clothes I wear and the readily available food and water for me to consume, life would be harder to bear and that realization makes my work easier to complete.
Sometimes, I need to stop and remind myself why I work or what I gain from it. Things like doing homework so that I may learn and grow as a person, doing my chores and maintaining good habits to become more responsible, exercising my body and honing my skills so that I remain healthy and sharp.
Sometimes, I really do need a break, but I need to make sure it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
It’s impossible to stay positive all the time. Sometimes, I just feel too tired or overwhelmed. Still, it’s better to try again than to give up, and there’s always a chance that things will get better.