I sit here in the midst of a full schedule of work craving some rest. 7 hours. That's how much sleep I've gotten in the past two days. While I have had considerably lower hours spread between two days, it was the content of the days that really broke me. Non-stop work from classes, dance, and literal work grabbed my throat and slammed me on the ground. Around noon the previous day, my body started to feel just as bad as my head. Aching, tension all over, and immersive exhaustion clamped around my body.
The hardest part about this is I sit here writing this article feeling no better today than I felt yesterday. My eyes are droopy and I feel lethargic in all I do. I never used to get stressed because somehow I could manage my personal workload and not feel such immense pressure. I had always heard of taking precautions during this time especially concerning my mental health, but I never saw the need for it.
Until this year. College. Once the reality of adulthood crashed onto me and I started worrying about a heavier workload, getting a part-time job, keeping up with whatever extra-curricular activities I could, and eventually worrying about getting an internship for the summer, my mental health took a turn. This isn't to say I suddenly became depressed or unmotivated by any means. I just finally encountered a level of pressure that got to me. One day, after a particularly stressful week, I decided to take my only two classes off and rest. I didn't know how much I needed to rest or not worry about anything until then. Being idle and taking actual care of myself instead of brushing it off and saying "I'm fine" was tough to grasp at first, but once I settled into it I knew I made the right choice.
Now I can't wait to take another day for myself, but that will have to wait since part of what is stressing me out this week is what's to come. Inundated with midterms to prepare for, long work hours, and numerous dance films to prepare for and shoot, I feel overwhelmed by how much I have to take on.
I can't stress enough how much more important your mental health is than anything else. If you aren't feeling okay, you can't expect to perform the same as if you were feeling perfect. This was a hard truth for me to swallow, but after taking the dive, I encourage and most strongly advise to evaluate how you are doing right now and to take some time for yourself to recuperate and reset. Love yourself and then go right back to it.
