Lately, school has been consuming my life. Classes, homework, preparation and extracurriculars leave me drained. When I spend time alone, I am reading or writing something for class. When I make time to socialize, it is for a study session that leaves me feeling guilty if I’m unproductive. A work-life balance is essential, but striking that balance is a challenge of its own for those of us who do not know how to relax.
So what has been helping? More learning, actually. This may sound counterintuitive, but learning is not the problem. For me at least, I struggle with the monotony and pressure. I have found that learning something completely unrelated to my obligations has been remarkably helpful and is energizing rather than exhausting.
Maybe it sounds obvious that doing something just for fun is going to be fun, but I think a lot of us have forgotten the joy of hobbies. What do you do in your free time? For a lot of people in our generation, the answer is to consume media mindlessly. For some of us, the answer is, “What free time?”
It is essential to make time for doing something that is not motivated by a grade or income in order to ensure that your personal life exists and is valued. When we are not deliberate with our time, we often end up doing not much of anything at all (which is sometimes needed). When we do not schedule personal time, we end up wasting time by over-exhausting ourselves to the point of failure.
Self-guided learning and no-pressure creativity that is not about a final product is a breath of fresh air. It gives me the break I actually need while re-sparking my love for learning. I feel so much more engaged when I do return to my school work and obligations.
This past weekend, I learned how to add pockets to a skirt. The most valuable part of the experience was not gaining the useful ability or my now-pocketed skirt. It was the act of learning something in a no-stakes environment purely because I wanted to.
I encourage everyone to use areas of your brain and body that you typically do not. I usually turn to using my hands: painting, embroidering or other crafty activities. However, recently I went completely out of my comfort zone and learned to swing dance. I was so surprised with how much fun I had. Thinking only about movement was a refreshing change of pace.
This does not need to be a solitary endeavor. Another great part of the pocket-making experience was socializing with my classmates and professor during the little sewing circle we set up in Brother’s College. Similarly, I met and talked to so many different people during the swing dancing endeavor.
These new activities can also be used as an opportunity for you to take time for yourself. Learning to knit, crochet, draw, dance and run can all be outlets for when you need time for yourself to think or to take a break from thinking.
Whether you love school and are eager for more, or hate it and need a change of pace, I encourage you to try learning something on your own and to make time for a hobby.
Featured image courtesy of Pexels.com.
Katie Carmichael is a junior majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing, and minoring in teaching.