Anna Gorman, Campus Carrier staff writer

Nowadays, it feels like every waking moment of everyone’s time ought to be spent moving. Doing. Being productive. Today, taking a moment is considered wasting time. Selfcare is pushed aside to better accommodate “hustle culture.” How many times do college students say they need to “grind” and be considered “an academic weapon”?

I’m a naïve freshman, and I fell victim to this mindset very early on. Selfcare? Don’t know her. I was on that academic grind. I was pumping out math assignments, economics quizzes, English readings – I was doing it all, and while I felt like I was staying afloat, I didn’t realize I was sinking at a horribly fast rate.

Selfcare, to me, was superfluous. I was of the belief that I would be fine without it. I had survived this long without it, right? Surely, I could go a bit longer. What’s one more day, one more month, one more year, in the grand scheme of things?

I soon found myself in a very deep rut. I no longer found joy in things I loved because I began to view them as “distractions.” I love reading books, but I found myself preferring to spend my evenings getting an entire English essay done than reading a few chapters. In my mind, the essay was more important. And while it was, putting away what used to give me joy just deepened the rut. I was in the hands of a vicious cycle. While I was getting important things out of the way and getting good grades, I felt myself becoming more drained with every passing day. Every day was a race, and I was falling farther and farther behind, despite seeming like I wasn’t.

I am not going to deny that schoolwork is a massive priority — and it should be one. But taking time for yourself is better in the long run.

We all have those breakdowns, those days where we just stare at everything we must get done and say, “I’d rather drop out.” And while selfcare isn’t a cure, it lets you recharge and come back to your tasks with a newfound energy.

Taking moments for yourself is one of the best forms of selfcare. Go on a walk, read a book, meditate — give yourself at least an hour to do something that will get your mind off schoolwork and the stress. Let yourself be. It’s okay to be selfish and take a moment to be alone than be with friends. That hour, which might seem like a waste of time if you have a bunch of tasks that need to be done, will be one of the greatest things you could ever do for your tired, overworked mind. That hour will allow you to return to your responsibilities refreshed and ready to tackle them.

No matter how busy you are, never skip meals and never go below five hours of sleep. As much as school would rather students spend every second of every moment studying or doing homework, it is not worth it to deny your body of its basic needs it’s for the sake of “the grind.” Tomorrow’s exam can wait, I promise you.

As midterm season dawns on us, it is imperative we put ourselves before our grades, no matter how much we think we should do the opposite. Basic needs must be met. Celebrate the little victories, even if it was as small as getting out of bed. Selfcare is what keeps us going, not “the grind.” You don’t need to be an academic weapon. It’s okay to just be a student.