A few days ago, I came home from work and realized something was off. Something didn't feel quite right. At first I couldn't quite put a name to it, but then I knew what it was that was different. I had the night to myself.

It was such a foreign feeling to know that I had the rest of the night to do whatever I wanted. Usually, I have things to do after work or after school. Once a week, after I leave work, I go to school. Usually, after I leave school or work, I have other things going on in my life. Most of the time I have to catch up on homework. But this night that I mentioned above, this rare occasion, gave me the opportunity to have me time. And guess what? I wasn't quite sure what to do with that time.

I had a lot of things I could have done, but I think that I was just so surprised that I didn't have anything school-related that needed to be done. This had me thinking. As college students, between balancing school, work, and whatever else we have on our plates, when do we have time devoted to ourselves?

This is an important question because I, for one, feel that setting aside time for yourself is vital in many ways. It's good for revitalizing yourself and your priorities. It's good to relieve stress. Most importantly, it's good for your own sake and sanity to just give yourself some time to relax.

And when I talk about time for yourself, I quite literally mean time for yourself. Everybody needs a little alone time; and, quite honestly, everybody doesn't get nearly enough. I understand that life is chaotic and stressful. I understand that we all have things that need to be done. But trying--seriously trying--to set aside time for yourself can be beneficial.

I used to feel guilty if I was not doing anything school-related when I knew I had things to get done. If I wasn't spending time doing homework or getting things done around the house, I would feel like I was wasting my time. If any of you feel that way about setting aside time to relax, then please believe me when I say that you shouldn't. Everyone needs a break. Everyone needs time to enjoy life and enjoy the small things that give you pleasure.

Find a time for yourself to catch up on that TV show you wanted to finish on Netflix. Read that book that's been sitting on your shelf for months. Go find a nice spot to sit and just watch the world. Do something. Just relax and enjoy your time.

And don't feel bad about telling yourself that you deserve it. You probably do.