For many, summer is a time when you relax and reenergize after a long stressful school year. Unfortunately, I have realized that I haven't had the time to unwind yet this summer. Last week I talked about the importance of self care. This week, I want to write about my personal experience not taking enough time to look after myself.
Working at Cal has taught me a lot about self-care and how important it is to practice it. I have realized that I haven't caught a break since school started. I went from working a part time job and going to school to working full time. I haven't had that break that most college students have as soon as the spring semester ends.
This past semester was an overload for me with units. I was doing well for a little over half the semester, but after spring break I started to fall behind. I let my work pile up at the end of the semester as I struggled with elements of my personal life, too.
After surviving finals, I had to move out of my room and into a new home. This was a huge deal for me because it was the first time I've lived off campus. Moving into a new home right after finals was hectic. It brought a whole new kind of stress right after I had finished cramming for finals.
I moved into my new home with my new roommates. While this was going on, I started to work full time at school while slowly moving in. Then, two weeks later I lost my car keys and made the move to Berkeley for my internship.
Five weeks have passed since I have been here at Berkeley. I have been hard at work, going from one meeting to another. Then I come home and try to "relax," only to repeat the same schedule the next day. Don't get me wrong, I am learning a lot at this internship. I love it. It's a whole new experience for me. I have learned so much about the realm of student affairs.
However, I have not taken the time to fully de-stress and unwind. I hope to be able to fully relax when I return home at the end of my internship. I need time to myself. I need time for self-reflection to think about everything that has happened this year. I need to take the time to enjoy myself and contemplate different ideas of how to relax and reenergize. I need more "me" time. I want to have the time to relax and do things that will help me unwind.
Some activities that help me relax are cooking, reading books, traveling, going out for a drive, and being social with friends. I haven't had the chance to do these things in a while and I feel like I need to. It will help provide me with some peace and be able to finally get some relaxation in before the fall semester starts up at the end of August.
