rest
Wednesday, September 24, 201412:50 AM
It's nearly the end of September and we're now 2 days into recess week!
Honestly, I didn't realise how much I'd appreciate this little "break". We're supposed to be using this time to catch up with readings and all so it's technically not a leisurely holiday, but at this point I'd welcome any opportunity for rest.
I always thought uni life would be super chill and relaxed. But after half of Semester 1, I feel like everything is happening so rapidly. New information to internalise, new people to meet and interact with, new environment to adapt to, new lifestyle to lead...things happen so quickly and simultaneously that it's hard to process the present, let alone remember and reflect. This is probably exacerbated by my stay in hall, even though I'm not very active as compared to most other freshies! To borrow Shimeng's words of wisdom, it's like being "an introvert in an extrovert's world". Eusoff has given me alot to learn and get accustomed to...But that's a story for another day (and one you've probably heard quite enough about LOL).
"Rest" holds different meanings for different people. Or rather, it holds a variety of definitions for each person. Things like taking a nap, sleeping for 8 hours or just lepaking in front of the television are all ways through which we rest and recover from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I know this might be an over-generalisation, but I think that this "down-time" is especially important for introverts. After a day outside being surrounded by people (even good friends whose company you appreciate & enjoy), there comes a point when you feel like you need to retreat into your own space. It doesn't always have to be extreme, like holing yourself up in your room and hibernating for a day, though that does sound pretty good to me haha. Rest could also mean sitting on a reasonably long bus ride with earphones on and feel-good music playing, where you can watch the world fly past through the window and pretend reality doesn't exist for awhile. Or spending an afternoon reading escapist fiction and imagining you were someone else, somewhere else.
To me, we run on our own "social batteries" with very different energy capacities. We run out of power and need to recharge at different timings; some of us can plug in and go in a flash, while others need a longer time to finish charging. That's why "rest" is important, because it is easy to feel burnt out if you exceed your limits by too much or too often.
As someone who has a very low battery life, I feel like the past 2 months have been pretty draining not only physicially, but also emotionally. It has been difficult trying to strike a balance between my own need for personal time/space and the desire/expectations from others to fulfill social responsibilities. I'm still struggling with prioritising and learning how to sift out what is truly important from all the other distractions. Honestly, I haven't always said the right things or behaved the right way, and I think I haven't been making very good choices lately (what's new LOL), but I know I'm trying and that should count for something right?
I guess my point is that I'm grateful for little breaks like recess week. Although there has been surprisingly little free time so far and plenty of work to be done, I'll take whatever I can get haha.