Breaking the cycle

The importance of participating in a hobby

Grace Na, Managing Editor|November 11, 2022

Taking part of a hobby is crucial to relaxing in a busy schedule. Hobbies allow busy students to take cool down and help to prevent getting burnt out from school work.

Wake up. Eat. Go to School. Do extracurricular activities. Go back home. Eat. Finish homework. Take a shower. Study. Sleep. Wake up, repeat the whole cycle again and count the days left until the weekend.

Like a hamster stuck in the same routine every day, my daily routine is limited in what I can do. I frequently found myself stuck in situations where my life would feel dull, colorless and repetitive.

Every morning, I am woken up by my mom calling my name. Then, I would get ready to head to school. Once I get to school, I’m always met with the same two schedules. Block A, which includes Speech and Debate, U.S History Honors, International Baccalaureate (IB) Math Higher Level (HL) 1 and Journalism Honors. Block B includes Speech and Debate, IB Environmental Systems and Societies, Italian 5-6 and IB English HL 1.

After school, I would either attend my Speech and Debate workshops or late labs for the school Newspaper on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On top of that, I attend my math classes near the school’s campus every Wednesday and Friday. By the end of the day, I feel burnt out with all the tasks I have to finish—which led to my frequent procrastination.

Due to the repetitive routine that I am met with every day, I seem to have lost the excitement in my day-to-day life. It was almost as if I was going through “senioritis” as a junior. I counted the days until the weekends, as it was motivation to finish my work. Unfortunately, as soon as the weekend came, it passed by swiftly, without a trace.

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…as soon as the weekend came, it passed by swiftly, without a trace.

— Grace Na

During fall and summer break, I developed a habit of walking around my neighborhood and enjoying the outdoors whilst listening to calming music. This helped me reflect on the day. So, during times when I felt stressed due to school, I tried walking for at least 15 minutes while listening to my favorite artists: Far Caspian, Sufjan Stevens, IU… the list goes on. As expected, I felt the burden lift up, brightening up my day.

Then, I decided to try journaling. I would rant about my day, reflect or write how I felt. As I place the last period at the end of my last sentence, a sense of relief or calmingness rushes over me. Wanting to pursue another of my interest, I then bought a guitar. I enjoy listening to acoustic music because it calms me, which was why I started learning how to play. As of now, it helps me get through the week. It is something I look forward to doing once I get home, allowing me to stop myself from procrastinating.

Despite my repetitive schedule, I cope by spending time doing what I enjoy. This gives me something to enjoy in life and get through the weekdays.

Whether it be strumming the strings of my guitar, taking a short walk or journaling and reflecting on how my day went, consistently participating in a hobby I enjoy allows me to feel excited. I now look forward to the following day. Instead of procrastinating or wasting time scrolling through my phone, I focus on developing a skill or hobby that I enjoy which makes me feel better about myself.