Welcome, The Lost Raider!
- sherilynmeier
- Jan 7, 2022
- 3 min read
Obviously, I have been watching too many movies. Thank you so much for your patience! I had to take a break to get all of my finals done, and I took an additional holiday to go on a mini-vacation with my family! This semester has probably been one of the best semesters for me. I think it was due to my regulation and having classes full of things that I loved. Therefore, I was not procrastinating, and I loved my courses. It was not an easy semester, but it was certainly the easiest one I have had so far. This next semester seems to be more difficult for me because I will be taking some psychology classes with lab. However, I am still very excited about what I will learn. How were your college semesters? Or how was your December/November?
Today, I would like to speak about the importance of having a break or having a break in routine. This holiday season, I noticed that I have a tendency to feel guilty if I am not being productive in any way. I decided to plan to not do anything for Christmas. This meant no homework, working out, or anything in general. Let me tell you, it was brutal! However, I succeeded in this endeavor, and I felt energized immediately afterward. I decided to research more about why having a break is essential. One tidbit of research that I found was that sometimes having a little bit of “chaos” in our lives can cause a positive change in a regular routine (Jarvis, 1996). From a personal testimony, I am a big fan of traveling and exploring. Even amid an atrocious semester, I will take the time to explore downtown Tulsa, go to a new coffee shop, or read a book. I have also invested in little trips to Texas to visit my Aunt, especially if I struggle with a personal matter. Every time I come back from those little trips, I feel refreshed and motivated.
I am sure that this will be a topic that someone will bring up, but I do not necessarily agree that having a “break” from school is acceptable. Of course, my opinion does not matter. However, I find a break to be non-stimulating, but it may cause the student to lose momentum to finish their degree. I can include many talking points in this post about why one should not take a break from school, but I figured I should fit this.
Anyways, not only can you take a break to be included in academic endeavors, but this can also comprise a discussion of social media. I love social media; I believe it can be a tool for some good influence on others. I know that the mass population loves social media as well. However, taking a break can prove positive to one’s mental health. Social media affects us solely dependent on how an individual person incorporates this tool in their life. It becomes unhealthy if it is a habit that interrupts vital parts of life like sleeping, eating, and relationships (Schoenebeck, page 2). One fundamental way social media could get in the way is when we are lying in bed, where watching one TikTok can turn into 3 hours of idle swiping! This is a random example, but there are numerous discussions about social media becoming an official addiction (Pies, 2009). I could go on and on about the importance of regulating your time on social media. However, I do not desire to bore you with my discoveries!
Long story short, it is incredibly vital to consider modulating one’s time. Remember to take a break! Eat that food you have been craving! Go on an overnight trip! Hang out with friends!
This video is about a girl who was able to pass a LAW about mental health days. This is a must-read, and her story is incredible to hear.
PS. I am just getting out of quarantine, so I have a bit of COVID brain. If some of this seems disorganized, I am so sorry!😂
Works Cited
Jarvis, A. N. (1996). Taking a break: Preliminary investigations into the psychology of epiphanies as discontinuous change experiences. ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9709611/
Pies, R. (2009, February). Should DSM-V designate "Internet addiction" a mental disorder? Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa. : Township)). Retrieved January 8, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2719452/
Schoenebeck, S. Y. (n.d.). Developing healthy habits with social media: Theorizing ... Retrieved January 8, 2022, from http://yardi.people.si.umich.edu/pubs/Schoenebeck_SocialMediaHabits14.pdf
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