In this Issue: some thoughts about the benefits of taking care of your whole self
Note: I am out of the office today, so this is a pre-post
I happened upon this picture a few years ago and it seems especially fitting in regard to college students at high-achieving places like Wake Forest. I worry about students feeling like they have to push themselves to be as busy as possible (and certainly busier than the next person) just to prove they are in fact working hard.
My message on this is:
Stop the madness.
Self-care is not selfish, it’s healthy. It’s necessary. Getting enough sleep, eating nutritious food, and exercising is healthy. What’s not healthy is feeling like you have to out-do your friends in terms of how late you stay up, how tired you are, or how many hours you logged in the ZSR. Burnout is not a badge of honor or a sign of your commitment to one’s education. It just means you won’t be able to bring your best self to your schoolwork.
My dream is that we have a student-led revolution where our students agree to slow down, stop feeling like they have to compete with anyone else in how hard they work (or play), and do what feels most natural to them. Spend more time reflecting and relaxing. Savor every moment. Have unscheduled time. Dream.
A change like this would have to come from students. They’d need to willingly reject perceived expected college student behavior, and instead honor what is best for them. I hope to see some new recruits in a ‘living lives of balance/self-care’ army 🙂
