College students are pulled in a myriad of different directions. We have commitments to classes, to friends, to organizations, to religions, to sports teams, to family, and to you fill in the blank(s). These things are good commitments that can bring us energy, sustenance, purpose and joy. These commitments can feed and nourish us as we deplete our time and energy.

But the goodness isn’t always flowing like the sweet sugary nectar of chocolate at a “Chocolate Fountain Social.” Sometimes too much of our commitments, of the sugary energy pulses, can leave us in states of decay. We’re social, emotional, spiritual and physical people – and all of these dimensions are channeled through our body. And sometimes too much of a good thing, too much of a sugar rush, can inhibit our bodies, our capacities to give out to others, and we start to dwindle. We decay (and I’m not just talking about tooth decay).

I fear that we don’t know the limits of our own capacity for compassion, myself included. I struggle to incorporate the word “no” into my vocabulary. I tend to keep giving and giving and going and going.

But we need to stop. We need to step back, and we need to recognize the importance of serving ourselves, so that we can properly work to serve other people.

There are twenty-four hours in a day. Excluding sleep from this equation, I am striving to dedicate at least one hour, to me, just one, measly hour dedicated to recuperation, relaxation, and reflection.

What gives you energy?

I’ve found that I need to carve our time each day for prayer – more than just a morning mantra or a nightly reflection. Our spiritual lives are like sponges constantly under the arid heat of the world. If we neglect to continually soak ourselves with prayer, especially silent, reflective prayer – in the form of conversation with God, meditation, scripture, the Mass, service, community engagement, you name it – we start to harden, dry up; we become rough around the edges, and we lose all that makes us whole and fills us with live and vibrancy.

I’ve found that I desire recreational time every day to “recreread.” One of my personal drives is to become a better reader, so there’s no better way than to start by doing this in small chunks each day. I’m currently sifting through the Chronicles of Narnia – a great escape into a wardrobe and treasure trove of creativity.

I’ve found that my body thrives when I set aside time for exercise. I don’t run daily nor do I go to the gym every day. That’s not what I’m striving to do, either. My goal is to be aware of my physical activity each day: how much time did I spend sitting? How much did I walk? How much motion did my body engage in?

These are the three parts of my personal hour each day: pray, reading, and exercise. Some days, the time might exceed an hour; but I know that I need to hit this bare minimum in order to continually feed myself, so that I can be at my functional best, or functional average, in order to be present with the other commitments I deem as important.

This work isn’t selfish, especially if you think about it in terms of providing you with more energy, more motivation to return to others with more determination and vigor. True, these actions are self-serving; but there exists dimensions of pray, of intellectual enlightenment, and of physical health, that are ‘other-serving’ as well.

Start today. Give yourself one hour. You might not think you need this time, but give it a shot; intersperse your day with “me time,” and see if it makes a difference. I would love to hear about your experiences and commitments!