As a high school student, everything was individualized. Whether it was your personal locker or the desk in your room where you studied. However, in college, there is a complete shift. You no longer have a locker—a personal space to store your belongings. You no longer have your own room—you have a roommate. Not only do the school aspects compromise your “me” time, but the living aspects do as well. You do not even have the privacy of your own bathroom. Almost every meal is with other people. You might turn the lock on the door so people can barge in at any time. These changes, although small, are great in the grand scheme of things. When you get to college, your sense of personal, private time is lost. So, how do you implement your necessary “me” time?

1. Find out when your roommate has class

Believe it or not, your roommate wants “me” time as much as you do. If you ask him/her their class times, you can figure out when to be in the room alone and gauge when he/she will return from their activities. Also, by you scheduling your own “me” time, you use your other time to go to the library or go to the gym—allowing your roommate to have their “me” time.

2. Skip a night out

As hard as it can be to watch your friends all go out and have fun for the night, sometimes a night in is needed. By skipping a night out, you are guaranteed hours of uninterrupted solitude—a rarity in college. You also will probably go to sleep earlier and be more rejuvenated. If you think about it, there are so many nights that people go out in a school year. I am sure that missing one night will only reap more benefits.

3. Go to the gym

Although the thought of going to the gym might sound dreadful for some people, it does have many benefits. Not only does it provide the perfect stress reliever, but it also is good for your physical/mental well-being. Additionally, when you go to the gym, you usually put in headphones and do not talk to people. If you go to the gym alone, you are really in solidarity. This time at the gym lets you sweat out all of your toxins and focus on yourself. What’s even better is that you get to jam out to music while doing so!

4. Get your nails done

This may be one of my more weird suggestions, but I think it is a great way to have “me” time. Nothing makes you feel more clean and put together than a good manicure. If you go to the nail place, you cannot bring school work with you which relieves you of temporary stress. Also, the people at the salon usually do not talk to you and offer peace and quiet. Some salons even have televisions which allow you to relax and enjoy. Thus, not only do you get to experience silence, but your nails look more beautiful too!