Busy. It's a word I use on a regular basis. It's right up there with stressed, tired, and sweating. But that's because I almost always am. Busy, that is. When I went to college, I had visions of sitting in my dorm room, homework magically done and tests studied for by osmosis, and my laptop permanently set to Netflix. I would meander to the dining hall when my stomach started to make noises, and mosey on down to the bathroom if the need arose. I'd spend hours upon hours in my friends' rooms, laughing and chatting about nothing of importance, as the days seemed to disappear off the calendar.

Thinking back on that, tears could roll down my cheeks after minutes of nonstop laughter. It's safe to say my college life, and my life in general, looks nothing like that. When my friends tell me they've finished multiple TV series on Netflix in one semester, my mind is blown because how? How on Earth do you have enough time to finish entire seasons, let alone a few episodes, of a show?! I get 20 minutes in and suddenly it's time for work, or class, or coffee before class.

As strange as it sounds, I love it. I couldn't imagine my life with immense amounts of downtime. I wouldn't want to have immense amounts of downtime. It's in those moments where I have nothing to do that I start to go crazy. I rack my brain for errands to run, stores to go to, or friends to visit. I'll create work for myself or make endless to-do lists, and go to great lengths to make myself busy. I don't know how to exist on any other setting. When I'm cramming for finals, writing papers every day, and driving back and forth between home and school, I can't help but look forward to any day in the near future where I don't have plans. And then that day rolls around and it's fun in the beginning. Slowly but surely, it becomes my own personal form of hell.

As much as I complain about having work, four papers to write, my cousin's birthday party, a haircut appointment, dinner with my friends, and any other event that could possibly find its way onto my calendar, I thrive when I have an endless list of things to do and places to be. I'm impatient by nature, and I don't like staying put for very long. I need to be on the go constantly. I need to have super late nights and even earlier mornings. For weeks on end.

We all need time to unwind and relax and just have nothing on the calendar. It's crucial for our mental health and our overall wellbeing as people. And once those allotted minutes have come and gone, you can bet that I'll be off and running.