Katherine Harper, Campus Carrier copy editor
As a slightly overcommitted Berry student, I often get quite excited whenever I have an open spot in my schedule. Frequently, I try to reserve these to actively do nothing, to simply sit in my room and let myself relax. I might watch TV, or listen to music or work on an embroidery project. Sometimes I’ll just take a nap. I used to beat myself up for doing this, but as I got older, I began to realize how important it is to let yourself simply do nothing. “Doing nothing” could look like sitting on your bed and staring at the wall, or it could look like simply doing any relaxing activity that brings you joy. We all need time to let our brains relax and lose focus for a little while.
I am not the first person to point out the dangers of “hustle culture.” Hustle culture is, essentially, the idea that a person should always be working in some way, and that by taking breaks or enjoying leisure time, a person is failing at their goals and sabotaging themselves. By now, many people have at least a vague awareness of how detrimental hustle culture can be to our overall productivity and well-being. Hustle culture encourages the harmful idea that rest is for the weak, and that being overworked and sleep-deprived is a sign of success, when this could not be further from the truth. Humans need sleep to function, so bragging about how little sleep you have been getting every night is moreconcerning than it is impressive.
I used to compare myself to my high school classmates, wondering if I should have stayed up later studying like they did. I kept telling myself that I simply needed to “be productive,” and I struggled to understand why I was not getting everything done within the painfully small time frame that I would set for myself. During my senior year, and as I moved on to college, I realized that comparing myself to my classmates was making me miserable. I was an individual who moved at my own pace, despite the fact that my high school’s culture seemed to think otherwise. Now, a year into college, I can say that I am much more comfortable in my personal academic habits, including how I prioritize rest. As an introvert, I have always needed more breaks and alone time than my extroverted peers, so this may have helped me on my journey to further prioritize rest as a part of my academic routine.
For me, one of the most important life lessons that college students should learn is how to balance their responsibilities in a sustainable way. Pushing oneself to the breaking point for a class is not worth one’s well-being or mental health. Each student has to learn, in their own way, how to fulfill their responsibilities while also making time to do fun, non-academic activities, and more importantly, for sleep. Refusing to take breaks and to get adequate sleep is a guaranteed recipe for burnout among college students.
I encourage every college student to try to do at least one little thing each day to allow themselves a moment’s rest, and to prioritize sleep alongside their assignments, not as an afterthought. There is no glamor in being exhausted to the point of losing focus or lashing out at others. Only by prioritizing rest can one build a life that is sustainable.