The Importance of Me Time
The lives of high school students are busy, especially here at Havergal. Whether you are part of a club, sports team, or spend time tackling homework, the life of a Havergal student is pretty hectic to say the least. Even after finishing school and activities, we still manage to keep ourselves busy by checking Instagram, catching up on new episodes of our favourite shows, or reading a new book. With all these activities weighing us down, stress can be a prominent emotion in our everyday lives. Other than sleeping, can you think of anytime in the day when you fully halt everything that you are doing and reflect?
Even in the busy life of a high school student, there should be at least a few minutes in your day where you can take time to stop and listen to yourself. We all know the importance of talking to others about our problems, thoughts, and ideas, but many people forget that it’s important to listen to yourself as well. I encourage all of you to find time in your day to go to a quiet place and think. It's important to have this independant time to reflect on yourself and the other people in your life.
Meditation is a method many opt for to help them clear their minds. It requires quiet surroundings you are comfortable in. Here is a quick and easy way to meditate: first, begin by taking a few deep breaths, and let all the worry of the things you have to do and things you've done go. Breathing is a huge part of meditation as it allows you to focus on your body and mind. It also gives your mind something to concentrate on so your mind doesn’t wander. After focusing on breathing, you can make the decision to let your mind focus on other parts of your body such as the heaviness of your hands or eyelids. Recognizing the heaviness of the body helps to release tension in your muscles, which aids your physical well-being as well as your mental health. While meditating, you can focus on the present and what you feel in that specific moment, or just let your mind wander. When you feel ready, you can return to your busy life hopefully feeling calmer and less stressed.
Although meditation can be extremely beneficial to some people, it’s not a great tactic for everyone. If you are someone who doesn’t enjoy meditation, even just sitting still in a quiet place with your thoughts can help you declutter your mind, leaving you refreshed and possibly less stressed. Even when you are at your busiest time, try to make room for this “me time”. At first, it may seem like a waste of valuable time to just sit and do nothing, but as you continue to notice the effects of listening to yourself, you will realize that it's not actually doing “nothing”. In fact, as Psychology Today reports, it is scientifically proven that people who take the time to reflect on themselves live happier lives and feel more optimistic than those who do not. A study was done on people who were meditating and taking the time to sit in a quiet place to think. While the subjects were doing this, their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with happiness, was much more active than normal.
Other then de-stressing, self reflection and meditation can give you the time and space to recognize goals and drive you to have more focus and self-awareness that can help you in all aspects of your life. So again, I ask you, is there any time in your daily life that you completely stop what you're doing and think? If the answer is yes, keep doing what you're doing. If the answer is no, try and find a way that works for you to self-reflect. Do you have a few minutes before you go to bed, in between classes, or after your homework? I encourage all of you to try this, and to recognize the power of “me time”.