How To: Carve Out Time for Yourself

College is hard! We’re not just talking about that midterm you barely passed, but the balancing act of academics, social life, and self-care. With the whirlwind of extracurriculars, classes, and new faces you deal with everyday, it’s easy to get overwhelmed at times. Especially to the introverts, we see you! In addition to carving pumpkins this fall, here’s Flyby’s guide to carving out time for yourself.

Making self-care a task

Yes, we know that scheduling in time for yourself on your g-cal may feel a bit cliche, but you know what, sometimes you just have to do it. That little hour blocked out on your Wednesday afternoon may seem small and irrelevant in comparison to all of the other actually important things you have to do, but it’s also a great way to actually take some time for yourself. Practice some meditation, go to the gym, or perhaps take a nice walk while looking for Remy.

Riding around on the shuttle

Sometimes all you really need is the rocking motion of a shuttle bus to feel a little more at peace. Listen to some music, wistfully look out the window, and convince yourself this actually is productive because you really couldn't walk from the Yard to Mather and instead needed to add an extra 30 minutes to your commute/break.

Normalize eating alone…

… but still pull out your laptop to be ~productive~

In all seriousness, it’s okay to eat alone, no matter how weird it may feel. Contrary to popular belief, no one cares that you’re eating alone. Honestly.

Saying no to friends and no to FOMO

Sometimes saying no to friends is so hard because you get hit with that major FOMO. But when you’re sitting alone in your dorm while listening to laughter across the hall, just remember that you aren’t antisocial just because your *social battery is dead*. Anyway, who needs human company when you have a plethora of TV shows to catch up on? Which brings us to our next point...

Curling up on your bed with a selection of comfort shows

The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Gilmore Girls… Everyone has their favorite, sometimes basic, comfort show and watching it for the 10th time is a great way to take some time for yourself and decompress. Fluff up your pillows, turn on some mood lighting and settle in for two to seven episodes. (You are obviously not procrastinating, you are just practicing self-care.)

Sleeping until 3 p.m.

Everyone has those days where they just need to sleep for the next 14 hours and make up for the consecutive nights of getting three hours of sleep. Alone time can also mean sleep time, so pick a day (preferably on a weekend so you don’t skip class) to sleep to your heart’s content. PSA for the people living with roommates: remember to turn off your morning alarm the night before so you don’t wake your roommate up at 7 a.m. when you definitely aren’t going to wake up.

So, to all you burnt-out college students, let this be a sign to take a break. As much as finishing that pset or going to that social gathering seems like the most important thing, evaluate your priorities and appreciate those precious moments of alone time. The semester’s almost over, so what better time to reconnect with yourself before the nightmare of finals?