What I do during my breaks
So, you find yourself scrolling for hours on Instagram and every other media platform available at your fingertips (in my opinion, these should be harder to access, they are a curse!), and you wish to study, but your brain won’t make it possible for you! How convenient would it be if we were to have enough energy and motivation at all times to do exactly what we feel like we need to do?
Here I come with another list format of things I recommend, but this time, I am not recommending how to spend more time on social media, but how to spend less time on it!
First, we have a little self-boosting: read articles online, such as the one you are reading right now! Now, you might think to yourself, “but Florence, isn’t this basically just being on social media with the purpose of informing ourselves and expanding our horizons?” and you would be right! This is exactly what I am recommending. Go ahead and read all of OUR articles first though (wink). Learn more about life! Do some research on that topic you recently came across and had questions about. Look up gossip about your favourite celebrities. Read on cultural traditions around the world. Discover the words of Marx. Anything to get you that dopamine rush you seem to crave without caving into the mighty hands of social media.
My second tip is to find a stim activity: something to occupy your hands with while something else is going on around you so that your hands are not on your damn phone. My personal favourites are crochet and mounting putty (gommette bleue). Yes, you can judge my ADHD grandma activities all you want, but this is my article, so enjoy the ride. Other things would be doodling your boredom away, tapping your pen rhythmically (especially if you are musically inclined, unlike me), or folding and/or cutting paper. Maybe even tie and untie a knot for all I care. Find that distraction to occupy the hamster in the background and let your inner student focus on the task at hand.
Third, find a way to move your body without feeling like (a) a potato sack, (b) a stiff marble column trying to bend, and (c) somebody is filming you and will show your crush how your pants never seem to stay around your waist and find a way to lower themselves at an uncomfortable height for you and everyone looking at you whenever you move your body. Exercices I suggest are: walking with big headphones on and listening to that anti-racism podcast you have not started yet and feel guilty about; following along the MOST BASIC Youtube workout you can find (once again, use social media to get you out of it); twerking to WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion while waiting for your food to heat up in the microwave during that 30-minute lunch break you have because your essay is due tonight; and of course, running around the house after your pet because they ate something they were not supposed to.
The fourth category of hobbies I have in mind is those that spark a small flame in the artist inside of you dying to come out and express their feelings in a way no one else can understand them (even if it just comes out in clichés, artistic instincts still need to be expressed). It is no secret as to what counts as artistic activities, but I have suggestions as to how to incorporate art in small ways instead of typical ways. When revising your notes, you could get that pretty colourful pen out and scribble your heart away in the margins to emphasize the material AND express your artistic abilities. When planning your week in your planner, you could put a smiley sticker on your favourite day of the week! Mine is Monday because I have two classes. Remember that stimming activity from earlier? Why not express your creativity through that one? Combining two tips in one! Studying all the time and consuming media can make your soul feel empty, so try to prioritize those moments of creativity to help you get through it all.
I wish I had a fifth suggestion to make this article a bit more rounded, but I sadly do not.
Overall, being a student does not mean studying until you drop. Please don’t. Take the time to enjoy your breaks in any way you can. I hope the chuckles I gave you pushed you to try at least one of those things to make your life a little bit nicer.
