How I keep myself occupied, now that exams are over (hint: I don’t; I stress about it)

For me, the dreaded exam season, with all its trials and tribulation, ended last week for me. Woohoo! Freedom, and all things that are sweet in the world, are now within my reach. Or something like that.

In reality, however, I have no idea how to pass the time now. I have found little-to-no ways in which I can actually de-stress myself. Watching Netflix all day isn’t really relaxing when you’ve been doing it through exam season anyways; plus, my eyes do need some level of rest, right?

The thing that I thought was stressing me out is now over; but, the stress has not left me yet. And I don’t know what to do about it. My mind is not at ease; I’m constantly stressed about the fact that I could be doing something “productive” with my time. What? I don’t know. How am I supposed to make peace with the fact that I’m entitled to have a slight moment of rest, a break, after almost 18 years in some sort of academia?

At this point, I don’t know. I guess this article is a means to convince myself, maybe also you, that this lull that you’re going through is justified; you’re allowed to go do things that you want to do, and forget about other commitments for a while.

You’re constantly convinced, especially at university, that you must be doing something productive ALL THE TIME. If you take a week, or a month of rest, you’re apparently going to fall behind and eventually be unemployed because your CV is somehow lacking. Why? You can have skills to show, qualities to express, INDEPENDENT of whether you were literally crushed by the commitment you shouldered throughout university. It’s saddening that this is the only way we know to become “employable”, and I’m sure that this is not the truth.

I really don’t have much else to say; essentially, the point of this piece is to convince me, really, that it is okay to take a break. The strange irony I’m going through is that I am as stressed after my exams are over, if not a bit more. It’s not ideal. That’s what I want to change.

Take care, stay safe, and it’s not the end of the world. It may feel like that, but I hope I can reassure you that it isn’t.

Image credit: iStock/PeopleImages (found on BrainFacts.org)