I know it sometimes feels like you are the only one who wants to just stay in for the night and watch a movie, but you aren’t. Our society praises those who go out because it makes them seem “cool”, but is that really what “cool” means? Just to be clear, I’m not saying going out is a bad thing. It is a great way to push yourself to meet more people and to be social. However, there are times when you need to let your brain relax and to have the popcorn you’ve been waiting to have an excuse to eat.

One of the biggest things to realize is that the environment you are in plays a huge factor in the decisions that you make. I’m not going to lie, whenever I walk past people at a party I feel like I am missing out on something. There is always a pressure to go along with what your friends are doing to make it seem like you are one of them. I have to say though, there is nothing better than sitting in bed watching a silly movie either by myself or with a group of my girlfriends. I know that even if we have a long week ahead of us, we are going to endure it all together.

This is all easier said than done and I want you to think about something for a second. Think about all the social media that you get on every day. If you love looking at your friend’s stories or seeing what they did on the weekend, you most likely use one of the major social medias. Now, think about why you spend so much time looking at what your friends wore to the party or where the party took place. It’s time that we put down our phones and focus on what we are doing and not what others are doing. It’s time for us to realize that it’s okay to want to stay in bed and relax for the night.

Over the past month or so, I’ve challenged myself to give up the famous Snapchat. In the beginning it was a struggle to not want to check my phone to see if my streaks had replied back. As time went on though, I started to realize that I didn’t care which of my friends were out that particular night. I knew that if I needed to stay in to do homework or catch up on a few episodes of Netflix, that was what I needed.

I want you guys to know that staying in to do whatever you want is “cool” too. It takes a lot of practice of putting your mental health first and watching your friends go out for the night. Long story short, you should do what you want to do and whatever will make you happy in the long run. I’ve been the girl who has always wanted to stay in and watch the newest romantic comedy with her best friends, but have been afraid of missing out on something. It’s time that we all challenge ourselves to stay in and enjoy the time that we have with ourselves.