Flame the fire amidst burnout, pahuway.
Have you ever experienced having no motivation to do your homework? Like watching how your burning passion starts to lose its flame and you cease to do anything because you’re just too tired? Have you ever experienced feeling demotivated and at a certain point, you are caught running empty?
As the finals season approaches, lots of heavy workloads bombard students, especially college students that take meticulous care of their grades, as it has an effect when they try to find a job once they finish their studies.
Aside from this reason, most students choose not to slump on academics because they are craving for academic validation on themselves and are not satisfied with doing and submitting mediocre outputs. This is why, despite having no motivation, we still find ourselves pushing to get out of bed and start doing those academic requirements.
Sometimes, you find yourself tired of hearing motivational messages because what you really need is someone who understands and is ready to help you relieve stress.
The famous word, Padayon became an expression for toxic positivity because as students, it is not always about moving forward. As students, we need to do some Pahuway—a pause, a rest, and a time for ourselves.
Finding the right words and the right circle
“Tara kape!”
“Inom tayo after class!”
“Karaoke tayo!”
“Tara arcade!”
“Samgyup!”
Have you ever heard these words from your friends? After a long, tiring day, we often find ourselves sipping coffee on a cold afternoon while staring blankly at the window, eating while having a chatter with our circle, screaming our lungs out in a small karaoke room, getting drunk until we feel numb, or behaving like a child in an arcade game.
These activities may seem unusual for a college student who already has a lot on their plate, but taking breaks or hanging out with your friends is a great way to rest and take ourselves off from those academic requirements that haunt us even when sleeping.
Those invitations from our friends will always save us from drowning in our vast ocean of assignments, and being childlike with them means they are also willing to paddle with us.
They say do not cross the ocean for people who would not cross a puddle for you; instead, cross those oceans with people who will share their time to paddle with you and jump over that puddle while laughing like everything can still be out of control!
Say hello to Mr. Sun
Most of the time, we think that having enough sleep or more than our usual sleeping schedule is something we do not deserve. And leaving our bed these final days of the academic term feels like too much. It is like we are trading ourselves for our academics.
But remember, saying hello to Mr. Sun just for a while will let you release that natural happy hormone that you needed. That five-to-ten-minute walk will change your whole day.
So for now, rise and let your day shine. Instead of taking a tricycle, walk with your blockmates and have a small chit-chat on your way to school.
Listen to your favorite podcast,read that book that has been waiting for you for years, or have a good cup of coffee under the sun. We need to shift our minds to living instead of surviving, so go get that dopamine rush!
Let it all out
Problems are burdens that lead us to places we do not want to be. Handling all the issues in our lives is not easy, especially if we have struggles aside from our academic life.
This time, let it all out. There are people around us who are willing to listen to our troubles, willing to lend their hanky for us to cry on; or willing to tightly hug us when we feel that the world is not on our side anymore.
But of course, we should know our boundaries, whether and when to open up. And if that is not the case—have a journal, open your notes app, and dump all your problems there. Write it all out. All. All your thoughts that are left unsaid or anything that you could write just to release the negativity that you are feeling.
They are there for you.
Reconnect with your family
In this phase of your life, your family is what you need the most. Amid the busy days and quiet nights, they are longing for you too. Taking this break could turn into a bond with your parents or a date with your siblings.
If distance becomes a hindrance, a quick call or message will suffice, and so it goes. Send them your favorite snaps during your school breaks, or ask them for one.
More likely, this will lift your mood and remind you of the reason to keep going for the things you love. At the end of the day, your family will be there for you, no matter what.
Take yourself out on a date
For some people who are not used to going out alone, this is your sign to take yourself out. Not only to reward yourself for your big break but also to unwind and focus on yourself.
Taking yourself out on a date does not necessarily mean spending all your savings just for this day. Sometimes, it is simply doing the things you love in your favorite spot or in an underrated cafe, buying the food that you have been craving for a long time, or going to the recommended go-to spot that you have watched recently on TikTok. This is the time to do the thing that you have been waiting to do or wanting to try for a long time.
Let us remind ourselves that being alone does not mean that we are lonely. At times, we just need time for ourselves, all alone. Remember that this date—your date—is something that you should treasure.
Do nothing
We always find ourselves sitting in front of our laptop,holding a pen and a bunch of papers to review for the upcoming exams, other times, we submerge ourselves in different meetings throughout the day to beat deadlines.
When we start our day doing nothing, it feels unusual. It feels strange. Along with the feeling, we murmur, “This is not normal. I need to do something. I need to be productive.” as a result of being used to accomplishing a bunch of workloads in exchange for a cup of coffee.
A cup of coffee serves as our pause from the day. When the cup runs empty, we tend to do homework, meetings, and household chores simultaneously. We became overworked adults. We feel guilty whenever we lie on our backs while watching our favorite series.
Sometimes, we find ourselves sobbing and hugging our knees in the corner of a dark and cold space. The only noise that embraced the darkness of the room were dialogues from our favorite series. A chatter between Meredith and Cristina, a confession of love from King George and Queen Charlotte, or the famous quarrel between Primo and George.
But what we don’t know is that doing nothing and resting are also productive.
After all, pause does not mean quitting. Pause is temporary. Pause is where you hold back, reflect, and shift from one phase to another. And eventually, you will come back, better. Better than before.
You are pausing in between the things that you are handling. Taking a pause should not be done and regretted after, but because it is what you need, what you want, and what will fuel your passion and dreams.
You are only trying to light the fire for a while.
Article: Glaiza Chavez and Gerie Consolacion
Graphics: Rick Andrei Carigma
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