Me time

Today I was at the gym going hard, music going in my ears and oddly enough, I found myself feeling quite peaceful. Not at all what I expected. As of late I have been feeling more stressed than anything, something that we can all understand and relate to. I am grouped together with the college crowd. Finals are upon us, due dates are closing in. I have no money, my shelves seem more barren than usual. I am fighting sleep deprivation, irritation with school work, frustration with the social and romantic scene and of course, my own personal battles that are never ending.
Whether your a mother with a newborn baby, a highschooler whose parents are ruining your life or a grandparent worried about your family, stress is a common feeling in our day and age. 
We have all encountered the black hole that is stress. We all have our own ways of coping and surviving.
Some of us resort to comfort items such as ice cream, blankets and disney movies. Others pump iron at the gym or relieve tension in free expression of art or theatrics. This is what we like to call now days, "me time". Time you have set aside dedicated for yourself. Time that is all yours, to do whatever it is you please for however long you want. No matter what others might think, the calories you may gain or schoolwork that goes unattended.
What I realized as I was at the gym is that, while "me time" is great, it doesn't seem to do the trick. Last weekend I stayed in bed all of Saturday and Sunday. I literally only got up for my basic necessities. The only outcome of this was I was entirely to cranky on Monday, my homework had not been done and I decided, in the end, I had wasted a perfectly good weekend. 

So why was I feeling so peaceful at the gym? I'm not exactly an iron pumper, so I don't think that was the case. What I realized is that this week I have done a much better job at leading a more balanced life. While I still don't get as much sleep as I feel I need, I must be getting enough. I set aside time this week to actually do something relaxing- I sat by a window and read a book. One of those long lost treasures that seems to have been lost in today's YOLO mindset. I tried extra hard to make it to the gym as well as eat much healthier. I spent adequate time on homework, took several walks, talked to some friends I hadn't in a while and, ironically enough, watched less television. I remembered to read my scriptures, say my prayers, shoot a smile to someone who seemed to be having it rough and even had enough time to watch cat videos on youtube.

Don't get me wrong, I love "me time" as much as the next person, but I think today we overcompensate our busy and stressful lives with an over abundance of "me time" when what we really need is a little bit of discipline and a more balanced life. I still have time to watch Friends season 1-10 over and over, however now it will be stretched out over a period of several months instead of a week or two. Leading a balanced life has left my mind clearer, has left me in a much better mood and I'm finding that while yes, the stress is still there to a degree, I'm handling it much better and my smile is back more often.

So take the time to take a walk. I promise its worth it! Maybe you'll even find something worth instagraming. Call grandma and listen to a good story, even if you have heard it before. Try cooking something new. Break out your favorite book and read it for the 50th time, or maybe branch out and read a new one under a tree. The point is, get your head out of where the sun never shines and bask in the radiant rays of happiness life has to offer outside of social media and netflix.