One of the reasons why college is such a memorable experience is due to the amount of people you meet. My favorite thing about Union is a byproduct of that, that is, all the friends I have made. Whether it's chatting over lunch, working out at the gym, or binging on Netflix, it's great occupying your days spending time with different people. In addition to spending time with various friends, we are also constantly surrounded by people. Whether it's in a class, in your room, in the library, or in the cafeteria, we are placed in an environment that is always populated by people.
I truly enjoy spending portions of my day with others. It makes the work easier, takes the stress off and makes the days go by faster. However, I believe that college students are so caught up in the importance of retaining a strong social life rather than focusing on their mental health and well-being. This is one of the reasons why I think college is so stressful; we give 100%, 100% of the time. We completely exert ourselves with our studies, our fitness, and, most importantly, our social life. In the process, we end up putting ourselves on the back-burner. I'm not saying to decrease the amount of friends you have. Rather, I am saying that college students need to step out of their social bubble and spend some time with themselves.
A lot of things will start to happen once you start spending more time alone. Firstly, your mind will start to slow. Sometimes it can feel impossible to stop your mind, and when you're with people, it unfortunately does not improve. Think about it, you're trying to uphold a decent conversation while also thinking about the 200 things you have to get done. Once you are by yourself, you do not have to worry about constantly keeping a conversation and you can start to focus on dealing with deadlines and stress.
Being alone also allows you to just merely think. It's difficult when you're constantly surrounded by people to reflect, to dream, and to set goals for yourself. When you're alone, it's much easier to understand what is going on with yourself: whether you're content or displeased with your current stage of life, why you feel that certain way, how you can remedy it if need be. Spending time alone allows for self-improvement.
There are a myriad of reasons why being by yourself is healthy. For me, I use it as a valuable time to check in with myself and relax. Although I do think it's hard to find ways to be alone while at school, I still think it's quite possible. Go study in a quiet place in the library, walk to class, eat a meal, run at the gym, or read a book in your room by yourself. Sometimes merely the act of being alone can be soothing. However you find ways to seclude yourself from the hustle and bustle of college life, make sure it occurs daily, even if it's only for 10 minutes. After all, being at peace with yourself should be the most important part of college.
