A good friend of mine told me last year (when he was a senior) that when things get too hectic, there’s a point where you need to put your homework down, and make yourself a cup of tea. Your tea will signal that you are done with homework for that night, and is essentially a “middle finger” to your stack of papers.

It could have been his senioritis talking, but I started using that last year, and continue to give my homework the middle finger now.

“But Riley, didn’t you just say that when you get tired, you should work harder?”

Why yes, I did say that. However, like almost everything in life, you need moderation. Working harder when you get tired is meant to motivate you to keep going, and to not give up entirely. It would be insane if you were able to keep going and going, with no breaks to keep your sanity in check.

In short, we need to be making or finding time for the things we enjoy.

If anything, this will also help keep us going in this crazy time where we want nothing more than to sleep for five years (or is that just me?). I know that I can’t dance for four hours nonstop, as is the case with my fellow dancers. That’s why throughout a rehearsal we have small water breaks, or during an intense pilates workout our teacher gives us small 30 second breaks.

No matter how small it is, take a break.

I know that it seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day, but trust me, working in something you enjoy makes all the difference. Instead of having every day feel like a long, stressful copy of yesterday, you can now have something to look forward to, or bring you peace of mind. Your break could be knitting, going for a jog, dancing, baking, binge watching Seconds of Sienna (they’re just so good!), or simply ending your day with a cup of tea. Anything that can help you take your mind off of the workload that comes with being a student.

Sometimes, we get so caught up with thoughts of “I have to do this, then that, then this other thing…” that we forget that we’re young, and should be balancing these awkward years of stress with some fun. We need to stop making ourselves go crazy with our workload, take a step back, take a deep breath, and find something about life that we enjoy.

Yeah, that two thousand word essay is important, but so is my spring break. While I intend to write the essay, I also fully intend on catching up on sleep, anime, and going out in the sun with friends. Let’s take this blessed week off to find that thing that will get us through this last quarter of the school year!

With that, my dear readers, I think I will make myself a cup of tea now.