Rest and Reset (or go get a slushie, that works too)

With finals week coming to a close, I can finally step out of the whirlwind of stress and productivity to focus on parts of my life I might have been neglecting- namely, my mental state. My overflowing laundry, greasy hair, and the 10 sodas stacked on my desk have suddenly become very apparent, and I realized that maybe I was neglecting myself a little too much recently. I mean, really, I think It's so strange to me how easy it can be to ignore your own wants and needs when stressful times like this come around. There have been numerous times when I’ve told myself I could ‘take a break later’, only to end up with swollen ankles from sitting at my computer working on a render for hours without breaks.

 To put it simply, I am really bad at following my own advice when my 4.0 hangs in the balance. Not only was I isolating myself socially, I was also isolating physically- in the 3 weeks surrounding finals, I had been to two places- At home, or on campus. So to say I was getting stir crazy is the understatement of the century. At one point, while studying complex probability (on my floor, to help with the swollen ankles), something just snapped. Suddenly, I just needed to be out of the house, doing anything but this. So, I walked to my twin’s room, opened his door, and to his surprised expression (because I forgot to knock, ha) I asked- ‘Do you wanna go get slushies?’ Now mind you, this is not a common occurrence- I hadn't even been inside the gas station near our house, ever. His (hesitant) response was- ‘uh- sure?’ so off we went, and once I was filling a small cup with my slushie of choice- cherry, for those curious (It’s the best one, fight me), with the fluorescent lights, quiet music, and distant conversations of a customer being checked out, I realized I could finally breathe again. 

Walking back to the car, slushie in hand, I knew the trip didn’t fix everything- there was still a mountain of tasks to do, sleep to catch up on, and laundry to do, but for a while I was able to distance myself and just take a break. Sometimes, I need to be reminded that outside my world of deadlines and stress, there is a world that is always full of life, conversation, and community. So yes, your challenge will be waiting for you when you get back- so what? Take some time, rebuild yourself, and take it in stride with renewed energy. Because you don’t have to be strong today. You don’t have to be brave or whole. Those things will come, because they’ve always been in you. Sometimes, you need to just be.

 In the end, I’m learning that stepping away isn’t falling behind. It’s how you stay whole, even when the weight of the world tries to make you crumble. Basically, Rest shouldn’t be the reward at the end of a stressful point- it should be a building block that helps you to overcome challenges.